Category: EMT
- Abbreviations ()
Abbreviations Abbreviations are like 10 codes; they are great when everybody knows what you are trying to say. Otherwise, they are worthless. AAA abdominal aortic aneurysm ABC airway, breathing, circulation abd Abdominal AC antecubital fossa ACS Acute coronary syndrome AED automatic external defibrillator Afib atrial fibrillation AIDS acquired immune deficiency syndrome ALS advanced life support […]
- Documentation By Patient Management ()
If you had to pick a methodology by which to document what you did on a given call, wouldn’t be best to actually document based on what you did? Documentation by patient management gets its’ strength from your knowledge of patient assessment. The better you know patient assessment, the better you can document the call. […]
- Subjective versus Objective ()
For some reason, EMS personnel struggle with the concept of objective information being different from subjective information. Most of us utilize the SOAP (or SOTC) documentation format when writing our narrative; therefore we have a place to specifically write objective information and subjective information. Objective: Information that you can perceive utilizing any of your 5 […]
- A Closer Look At a PCR ()
The example above is a paper PCR, in Georgia a thing of the past. In 2012, Georgia PCR’s were completely digital dragging the EMS community of Georgia into the computer age. From the written PCR above, you can see how poor handwriting could make this document extremely hard to read. Anatomy of a PCR Whether […]
- Documentation ()
Every time an EMS unit is dispatched to a call, a Patient Care Report (PCR) must be generated (regardless if the ambulance made it to the scene or did not see a patient). Currently, all PCR’s are inputted into NEMSIS/GEMSIS compliant database, usually completely inputted by EMS personnel after each call with a laptop. The […]
- Positioning Patients ()
The most obvious position to transport a patient is the most comfortable position for the patient. This is referred to as the position of comfort. It may be reclined, semi reclined or supine. The position of comfort is typically reserved for conscious patients who are able to choose the position. When the patient is unresponsive […]
- Lifting and Moving Equipment ()
Anything that moves a patient from one place to another can be referred to as a stretcher. The term stretcher can be used interchangeably with litter. Since moving patients is the primary skill of EMS, there are a variety of ‘stretchers’ routinely used. Always Read The Manual A wheeled stretcher is most commonly associated with […]
- Restraining Patients ()
Violent patients should never be transported without restraints. Unless the ambulance crew doubles as a hostage negotiator or used car salesman, the patient will either not cooperate or even worse, fail to cooperate at a later time. The worst possible place to have a physical confrontation is in the back of an ambulance. Use of […]
- Injury Prevention ()
Being healthy to begin with makes injury prevention a little easier. EMS providers who get enough sleep, eat nutritious food, keep their immunizations up to date and engage in some fitness regimen have an advantage over those that do not. Maintaining one’s health is universally recommended. The EMS provider often works multiple jobs, has sleep […]
- Don’t Stress Out ()
EMS personnel sometimes find themselves in dangerous situations. Sometimes the EMS provider is sees things that may have a emotional or psychological effect at a later time. EMS personnel are often confronted with critically ill or injured patients as well as the dead and dying. Sometimes the EMS crew opens the door of a house […]