Category: EMR
- Pathogens Are Microorganisms That Exist Even Though You Can’t See Them ()
Micro-organisms and their activities are vitally important to virtually all processes on Earth. Micro-organisms matter because they affect every aspect of our lives – they are in us, on us and around us. Microbiology is the study of all living organisms that are too small to be visible with the naked eye. This includes bacteria, […]
- Personal Protective Equipment ()
Standard precautions work under the assumption of that all patients have a contagious disease. There is no way to know if a patient has a contagious disease, therefore using standard precautions for all patients is a key skill to possess in the prehospital environment. Understanding the threat and possessing situational awareness will ensure the EMS […]
- Standard Safety Precautions ()
Prior to working in healthcare, or even training to work in healthcare, a physical examination is usually performed to determine a baseline health status. Immunizations are assessed to be current. The following are examples of healthcare immunizations that are screened in pre-training and pre-employment screening: Tetanus Hepatitis B (MMR)Measles/mumps/rubella (German Measles) Chicken pox (varicella) Influenza […]
- Research ()
Before 1800, medicine was completely different than it is today. In those days, it wasn’t uncommon to treat a patient with cancer or an infection by cutting the patient and allowing the patient to ‘bleed out the infection’. The barbaric act was a practice that was thousands of years old and finally died out by […]
- Quality Improvement ()
Failures of action, or unintentional actions, are classified as skill-based errors. This error type is categorized into slips of action and lapses of memory. Failures in planning are referred to as mistakes, which are categorized as rule-based mistakes and knowledge-based mistakes. Skill-based errors Skill-based errors tend to occur during highly routine activities, when attention is diverted from a task, either by thoughts or […]
- Patient Safety ()
The EMS Motto is, ‘Do No Harm’. The very first priority for EMS providers is to ensure the safety of the patient. Patient safety is a high priority in all medical venues. EMS operations are laden with many high risk activities, each with the possibility of a furthering the suffering of the very patients EMS […]
- Authorization To Practice ()
The National Highway Safety Administration, through various versions of the documents, ‘EMS Agenda For The Future’, publish updated versions of what EMS should become in the coming years. By constantly looking into the future, NHTSA is able to provide recommendations, a curriculum, and develop provider levels based on the ‘Scope of Practice ‘ model. State […]
- Maintaining Certification ()
It is the personal responsibility of the EMS provider to maintain their certifications and licenses. A certification is an acknowledgement by a certifying agency or company that a candidate has demonstrated minimal competency of the certification. At the time of this writing, Georgia utilizes the testing processes of the National Registry of EMT’s. The exams […]
- Professionalism ()
Professionals are highly educated and capable individuals that are expected to possess admirable character traits that guide their activities and interpersonal relations. Doctors and attorneys are considered professionals. There are times when a doctor or attorney who demonstrates a lack of these admirable character traits will lose their license to practice. EMS personnel are expected […]
- Roles & Responsibilities of the Emergency Medical Systems Personnel ()
Personnel who work in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have varied responsibilities. The responsibilities that are generally expected of all EMS personnel (regardless of provider level) to be carried out without direct order and generally on a continual basis. The responsiblities are as follows: Maintain equipment readiness – Ensure the vehicle has fuel and is serviceable […]