Emergency Medical System (EMS)
A multidisciplinary system that represents the combined efforts of several professionals and agencies to provide prehospital emergency care to the sick and injured.
Certification
A process in which a person, an institution, or a program is evaluated and recognized as meeting certain predetermined standards to provide safe and ethical care.
Licensure
The process whereby a state allows individuals to perform a regulated act.
Four levels of training and licensure
- Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)
- Paramedic
EMR
The first trained individual, such as a police officer, fire fighter, lifeguard, or other rescuer, to arrive at the scene of an emergency to provide initial medical assistance.
EMT
An individual who has training in basic life support, including automated external defibrillation, use of a definitive airway adjunct, and assisting patients with certain medications.
AEMT
An individual who has training in specific aspects of advanced life support (ALS), such as intravenous (IV) therapy, and the administration of certain emergency medications.
Paramedic
An individual who has extensive training in advanced life support, including endotracheal intubation, emergency pharmacology, cardiac monitoring, and other advanced assessment and treatment skills.
ALS
Advanced lifesaving procedures, some of which are now being provided by the EMT.
IV Therapy
The delivery of medication directly into a vein.
National EMS Scope of Practice
A document created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that outlines the skills performed by various EMS providers.
Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
A device that detects treatable life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia) and delivers the appropriate electrical shock to the patient.
Components of the EMS System
- Public Access
- Clinical Care
- Medical Direction
- Integration of Health Services
- Information Systems
- Prevention
- EMS Research
- Communication Systems
- Human Resources
- Legislation and Regulation
- Evaluation
- System Finance
- Public Education
Public Safety Access Point
A call center, staffed by trained personnel who are responsible for managing requests for police, fire fighting, and ambulance services.
Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)
A system that assists dispatchers in selecting appropriate units to respond to a particular call for assistance and in providing callers with vital instructions until the arrival of EMS crews.
Public Service Area (PSA)
The designated area in which the EMS service is responsible for the provision of prehospital emergency care and transportation to the hospital.
Medical Director
The physician who authorizes or delegates to the EMT the authority to provide medical care in the field.
Medical Control
Physician instructions that are given directly by radio or cell phone (online/direct) or indirectly by protocol/guidelines (off-line/indirect), as authorized by the medical director of the service program.
Quality Control
The responsibility of the medical director to ensure that the appropriate medical care standards are met by EMTs on each call.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
A system of internal and external reviews and audits of all aspects of an EMS system. Periodically, run review meetings are held in which all those who are involved in patient care review the run reports and then discuss any areas of care that appear to n
Public Health
Focused on examining the health needs of entire populations with the goal of preventing health problems.
Primary Prevention
Efforts to prevent an injury or illness from ever occurring.
Secondary Prevention
Efforts to limit the effects of an injury or illness that you cannot completely prevent, or if the event has already occurred.
Professional Attributes of EMTs
- Integrity
- Empathy
- Self-motivation
- Appearance and hygiene
- Self-confidence
- Time management
- Communications
- Teamwork and diplomacy
- Respect
- Patient advocacy
- Careful delivery of care
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Federal legislation passed in 1996. Its main effect in EMS is in limiting availability of patients' health care information and penalizing violations of patient privacy.