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 the early 1900’s. The procedure was usually carried out at a barber shop. The barber shop pole, so common even today, carried a red and blue stripe. The red stripe indicated that the practice of bloodletting was practiced at the location.

Allopathic medication is the type of medicine practiced in the western world. The practice dates back to 1800 and typically requires a scientifically valid diagnosis and often a medication or a procedure that was determined to be effective for the problem. The industrial revolution promulgated the use of the ‘scientific method’ to solve problems, primarily engineering problems. From this practice the assembly line was conceived as a way to maximize worker efficiency.

Medicine has come a long way, but does not have an answer for everything. Research based on experimentation guided by the ‘scientific method’ is seen to be the primary method of seeing into the darkness of the unknown. Emergency Medical Services are often working with unknown problems and as a group desire to use the methods of the ‘scientific method’ to increase efficiency, efficacy, and patient safety.

Emergency Medical Services personnel are unknowingly participating in such research activities by documenting calls and trying new approaches to emergency care. Without good data, there will probably never be any improvement. Data is collected not only from documentation, but is sometimes corroborated by reports from the Emergency Department.

NEMSIS IS A NATIONAL EFFORT TO STANDARDIZE THE DATA COLLECTED BY EMS AGENCIES.

The National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) is the national database that is used to store EMS data from the U.S. States and Territories. NEMSIS is a universal standard for how patient care information resulting from an emergency 911 call for assistance is collected.   NEMSIS is a collaborative system to improve patient care through the standardization, aggregation, and utilization of point of care EMS data at a local, state and national level. NEMSIS is a product of NHTSA’s Office of EMS and in collaboration with the University of Utah is the host of the Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

WHY THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL EMS DATABASE?

NEMSIS provides the framework for collecting, storing, and sharing standardized EMS data from States nationwide.   The NEMSIS uniform dataset and database help local, State and national EMS stakeholders more accurately assess EMS needs and performance, as well as support better strategic planning for the EMS systems of tomorrow. Data from NEMSIS is also used to help benchmark performance, determine effectiveness of clinical interventions, and facilitate cost-benefit analyses.

Georgia EMS Agencies

All Georgia licensed EMS agencies (ground ambulance services, neonatal transport services, air ambulance services, and medical first responder services) must report EMS data using GEMSIS Elite v3.4.0 or any other NEMSIS approved ePCR vendor software in order to be compliant.