Chapter 1

paramedic

Persons trained and certified to provide advanced life support.

Documentation includes...

condition when found; patient's descriptions of injuries; initial and later vital signs; treatment given; agency/personnel who took over treatment

The typical sequence of events of the EMS system

reporting, dispatch, emergency medical response, EMS vehicle response, and hospital care.

emergency response communications center/public safety answering point (PSAP)

A fire, police, or EMS agency; a 9-1-1 center; or a seven-digit telephone number used by one or all of the emergency agencies to receive and dispatch requests for emergency care.

advanced emergency medical technician (AEMT)

A person who is able to perform basic life support skills and limited advanced life support skills.

emergency medical responder

The first medically trained person to arrive on the scene.

physician or medical director

The overall leader of the medical care team. To ensure that the patient receives appropriate medical treatment, it is important that EMRs receive direction from a physician.

advanced life support (ALS)

The use of specialized equipment such as cardiac monitors, defibrillators, intravenous fluids, drug infusion, and endotracheal intubation to stabilize a patient's condition.

emergency medical technician (EMT)

A person who is trained and certified to provide basic life support and certain other noninvasive prehospital medical procedures.

defibrillation

Delivery of an electric current through a person's chest wall and heart for the purpose of ending lethal heart rhythms such as ventricular fibrillation.

basic life support (BLS)

Emergency lifesaving procedures performed without advanced emergency procedures to stabilize the conditions of patients who have experienced sudden illness or injury.

What is your initial responsibility when arriving on scene?

Park your vehicle in a way to protect the scene; look out for any hazards to self

transport vs prompt transport vs rapid transport

patient requires medical care but is stable; patient needs to be taken to a medical facility shortly or the condition will get worse and they may die; patient may die unless immediately transported (if you can't give life support in field)

6 Areas of Quality Improvement

safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equitability