Prehospital Emergency Care, Chapter One, 10Th Edition

Front 1

EMS System (emergency medical services system)

Back 1

permits patient care to begin at the scene of the injury or illness and EMS is part of a continuum of patient care that extends from the time of the injury or illness until rehabilitation or discharge

Front 2

Emergency medical responder (EMR)

Back 2

similar to the first responder level, provides immediate lifesaving care to patients who have accessed the EMS system and while awaiting response from a higher level EMS practitioner

Front 3

Emergency medical technician
(EMT)

Back 3

Provides basic emergency Medical Care and transportation to patients who access the EMS system. The interventions provided by the EMT include those performed by the EMR but with basic equipment found on an ambulance. The EMT level is similar in scope to the EMT basic level with the addition of advance oxygen therapy and ventilation equipment, pulse oximetry, use of automatic blood pressure monitoring equipment and limited medication administration.

Front 4

Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)

Back 4

Provides both basic and limited advanced emergency Medical Care and transportation to patients in the pre hospital environment. The AEMT provide all of the skills of the EMT with the addition of the use of advanced airway devices monitoring of blood glucose levels initiation of intravenous and intraosseous (in the bone) infusions and administration of a select number of medications

Front 5

Paramedic

Back 5

Scope of practice includes his skills performed by the EMT and AEMT with the addition of more advanced assessment and patient management skills in provision of the highest level of pre hospital care. Paramedics perform advanced assessments form a field impression and provide invasive and drug intervention's as well as transport. Their care is designed to reduce disability and death of patients who access the EMS System.

Front 6

prehospital care

Back 6

emergency medical treatment given to patients before they are transported to a hospital or other facility

Front 7

medical director

Back 7

is a physician who is legally responsible for the clinical and patient care aspects of the EMS system

Front 8

medical direction

Back 8

A primary charge of medical direction is developing and establishing the guidelines under which the emergency medical service personnel function

Front 9

protocols

Back 9

comprise a full set of guidelines that define the entire scope of the medical care (triage, treatment, transport, destination). Often referred to as orders. Protocols may consist of both off-line and on-line medical direction

Front 10

Off-line medical direction

Back 10

is provided through a set of predetermined, written guidelines that allow EMT's to use their judgement to administer emergency medical care according to the written guidelines without having to contact a physician.

Front 11

On-line medical direction

Back 11

requires that the EMT acquire permission from a physician via cell phone, telephone, or radio communication prior to administering specific emergency care.

Front 12

Standing orders

Back 12

are a subset of protocols that do not require real time physician input

Front 13

Medical oversight

Back 13

is the emerging term that more comprehensively describes the EMS system medical director's responsibilities. Performed by the medical director as necessary to exercise ultimate responsibility for the emergency care provided by individual personnel and the entire EMS system

Front 14

Quality improvement (QI)

Back 14

also known as continuous quality improvement, is a system of internal and external reviews and audits of all aspects of an emergency medical system

Front 15

Evidence based medicine

Back 15

focuses on research to provide clear evidence that certain procedures, medications, and equipment improve the patients outcome