Ems System Communications

Front 1

Accelerometers

Back 1

sensors in a vehicle that can measure a change in total velocity, forces applied to the vehicle, direction forces were applied, whether the vehicle rolled over, whether air bags were deployed, and the vehicle’s final resting position.

Front 2

Ad hoc database

Back 2

database created each time a patient is encountered to include information about that patient such as vital signs, video, electronic health record, and voice-to-text medical findings that can be stored and then accessed as needed by rescuers, helicopter crew, and hospital physicians.

Front 3

Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN)

Back 3

data collection and transmission system that can automatically contact a national call center or local public safety answering point and transmit detailed crash data, such as the type of vehicle, speed and direction of impact, and probable severity of injury to occupants. The AACN call center can simultaneously dispatch a variety of responders, including rescue/extrication crews, fire service, and medical helicopter transport, and advise the most appropriate hospital or trauma center to prepare for arrival of patients.

Front 4

Automatic crash notification (ACN)

Back 4

data collection and transmission system that can automatically contact a national call center or local public safety answering point and transmit limited specific crash data, such as that a crash has taken place and where it is located.

Front 5

Automatic location information (ALI)

Back 5

in computers at enhanced 911 communication centers, the ability to display the location of a caller’s phone.

Front 6

Automatic Number Identification (ANI)

Back 6

in computers at enhanced 911 communication centers, the ability to display a caller’s telephone number.

Front 7

Bandwidth

Back 7

(1) the width of a range of frequencies, measured in hertz; (2) a rate of data transmission, measured in bits per second (bps).

Front 8

Call routing

Back 8

the process of transferring an emergency call to the nearest 911 center; occasionally technical problems cause such a call to be routed out of the call area.

Front 9

Cells

Back 9

regions into which a cell phone service is divided.

Front 10

Cellular telephone system

Back 10

A type of wireless communication, called “cellular” because it is based on a complex of separate base stations, each covering one “cell” or geographic area. As a cell phone user travels, calls are transferred from base station to base station.

Front 11

Cognitive radio

Back 11

a “smart” device that is able to search the airwaves it covers for strong signals with no competing transmissions to provide the best possible channel of communication.

Front 12

Common operating picture (COP)

Back 12

a single display of operational information, such as data about a traffic crash and emergency responses to it, that is simultaneously shared by all units involved in responding to the emergency so that all those involved are working with the same information.

Front 13

Communication

Back 13

the process of exchanging information between individuals.

Front 14

Communication protocols

Back 14

predetermined, written guidelines for the type of information you may communicate by various means of communication without breaching patient confidentiality and privacy.

Front 15

Data dictionary

Back 15

a source of information about a specific set of data that provides definitions of terms, explanations of interrelations among the separate data, and similar information.

Front 16

Dead spots

Back 16

an area where transmission and reception of a radio or other signal is poor.

Front 17

Digital communications

Back 17

data or sounds translated into a digital code for transmission, usually a binary code consisting of 1 and 0, the numbers corresponding to voltage values.

Front 18

Duplex

Back 18

communications system that allows simultaneous two-way communications by using two frequencies for each channel.

Front 19

Echo procedure

Back 19

immediately repeating each transmission received during radio communications.

Front 20

Emergency medical dispatcher (EMD)

Back 20

the person who manages an EMS system’s response and readiness and is responsible for assignment of emergency medical resources to a medical emergency.

Front 21

Federal Communication Commission (FCC)

Back 21

agency that controls all nongovernmental communications in the United States.

Front 22

Geographic Information Center (GIS)

Back 22

an information system that stores and analyzes information about or within a specific geographic area for the purpose of aiding decision making within an organization or group for which the specific GIS has been developed.

Front 23

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Back 23

a global navigational satellite system in which satellites orbiting the earth provide specific time and location information.

Front 24

Hand-off

Back 24

the process of transferring patient care to receiving facility staff; the verbal report given by an EMT or paramedic to the receiving nurse or physician.

Front 25

Hotspot

Back 25

relating to Internet access that is provided over a wireless local area network through a router to an Internet service provider.

Front 26

Information communication technology (ICT)

Back 26

information technology blended with communications technology to provide for dissemination of information.

Front 27

Mission-critical communications

Back 27

information technology blended with communications technology to provide for dissemination of information.

Front 28

Mobile data unit (MDU)

Back 28

vehicle-mounted computer keyboard and display with broadband capacity via radio or wireless connection, capable of sending ambulance status and patient information to the hospital or ambulance quarters.

Front 29

Multiband radio

Back 29

radio or radio system that combines a wide range of radio bands, allowing services that operate on separate bands’such as police, fire, and EMS—to communicate across the separate systems.

Front 30

Multiplex

Back 30

duplex system that can transmit voice and data simultaneously.

Front 31

National EMS Information Center (NEMSIS)

Back 31

national repository formed to collect and store EMS data from every state in the United States, to create a national EMS database and to create a data dictionary that can be accessed and used by individual EMS systems.

Front 32

Pre arrival instructions

Back 32

instructions from a medically trained dispatcher to a person at the scene of an emergency on how to initiate lifesaving first aid with the dispatcher’s help while waiting for the on-scene arrival of emergency personnel.

Front 33

Prehospital care report (PCR)

Back 33

the written record of an EMS response.

Front 34

Priority dispatching

Back 34

system that uses medically approved questions and predetermined guidelines to determine the appropriate level of response.

Front 35

Public safety answering points (PSAP)

Back 35

any agency that takes emergency calls from citizens in a given region and dispatches the emergency resources necessary to respond to individual calls for help.

Front 36

Radio bands

Back 36

a range of radio frequencies.

Front 37

Radio frequency

Back 37

the number of times per second a radio wave oscillates.

Front 38

Repeaters

Back 38

electronic devices that receive a signal and rebroadcast it at a higher power.

Front 39

SafeCom

Back 39

electronic devices that receive a signal and rebroadcast it at a higher power.

Front 40

Semantic

Back 40

related to the meaning of words.

Front 41

Simplex

Back 41

communications system that transmits and receives on the same frequency.

Front 42

Situational awareness (SA)

Back 42

perception of all aspects of a scene or situation.

Front 43

Smart phone

Back 43

devices that combine the voice capability of a basic cell phone with the ability to perform a variety of data messaging functions such as e-mail and Internet connections as well as taking and sending photos and video.

Front 44

10-code

Back 44

radio communications system using codes that begin with the word ten.

Front 45

Terrestrial-based triangulation

Back 45

a system of location based on the use of three land-based points of observation, such as using the strengths of signals from three cell phone towers to locate a given cell phone signal, or more traditional methods such as the use of sextants in surveying.

Front 46

Trunking

Back 46

communications system that pools all frequencies and routes transmissions to the next available frequency.

Front 47

Ultra high frequency (UHF)

Back 47

radio frequency band from 300 to 3,000 megahertz. Penetrates steel and concrete and are less susceptible to interference. Used more often in cities.

Front 48

Very high frequency (VHF)

Back 48

radio frequency band from 30 to 300 megahertz. Travels farther and better over varied terrain. Used more in rural and suburban settings.

Front 49

Voice over internet protocol (VOIP)

Back 49

technology that provides voice communications through Internet access from a computer or mobile device.

Front 50

Standard Format for transmitting pt. assessment info.

Back 50

-ID of unit and provider -~TOA at HP
-Description of scene -other pt info
-Pt age,sex, & ~ weight
-Pt cc and severity
-Brief,pertinent Hx of present illness or injury(OPQRST)
-Pertinent past Hx Med's & allergies (SAMPLE)
-Pertinent physical exam finding
-Rx given so far/request orders