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 was intended to assist in their time of need.

The ‘hand off’ of the patient at the hospital from the ambulance crew is an extremely risky situation for the patient. Without giving a verbal report and ensuring the patient not only had the care they needed to get to the hospital, but also to sustain the patient while the Emergency Department finally gets into the act the patient could suffer the outcome EMS was trying to prevent. Communication is key in these situations. Communicating to the Emergency staff the nature of the patients’ problem, explaining what care was already completed, as well as obtaining a history complete with allergies and a list of medications will ensure the patient doesn’t have to start at the very beginning in regards to their patient care.

Transporting the patient in an ambulance is huge responsibility. Defensive driving tactics and understanding the limitations of the ambulance can help ensure the ambulance makes it to the hospital without incident. All EMS personnel need to understand that ambulances are generally not crash tested and when involved in an accident offer virtually no protection from harm. The outcomes of ambulance accidents are generally poor, often deadly. Stretchers have the potential to safely transport from the where the patient was initially found to their destination in a hospital bed across town. A stretcher, in the hands of an untrained operator often results in dropping the patient or even worse, the stretcher tipping over while moving the patient from one point to another.

Patients who are immobilized are at risk for further injury simply because they are unable to move. A patient who is immobilized is unable to sit up should they need to vomit. Immobilized patients require diligent monitoring to ensure they are rolled over in the event they need to vomit. Once the patient arrives at the Emergency Department, EMS should ensure that someone attends to the patient for the same reason until they are removed from the backboard.