Chapter 1- Ems Systems Flashcards
Emergency medical services (EMS)
Consists of a team of healthcare professionals who, in each area or jurisdiction, Are responsible for and provide emergency care and transportation to the sick and injured
Certification exam
Used to ensure all healthcare providers have at least the same basic level of knowledge and skill
Licensure
The process by which states ensure applicant competency in an examination setting. It’s basically gaining your EMT license, which is the authority granted to you to function as an EMT
What are the four licensure levels?
Emergency medical responder (EMR) emergency medical technician (EMT)
Advanced emergency medical technician (AEMT)
Paramedic
EMR
Has a very basic training and provides care of before the ambulance arrives, however they may also play a role in assistance within the ambulance
EMT
Has training in basic life support (BLS) including automated external defibrillation, use of airway adjuncts, and assisting patients with certain medications
AEMT
Has training in specific aspects of advanced life support (ALS), such as intravenous therapy (IV) and the administration of certain emergency medications
Paramedic
Has extensive training in ALS, including endotracheal intubation, emergency pharmacology, cardiac monitoring, and other advanced assessment and treatment skills
ALS
Advanced life support
IV
Intravenous therapy
NHTSA
National Highway traffic safety administration, which is the federal administrative source for education standards and related documents
What four types of learning activities does the EMT course follow
- Reading assignments from the textbooks, lecture presentations in classroom discussions
- Step-by-step demonstrations teach you the hands-on skills that you need to practice repeatedly in supervised small workshops
- Summary skills sheets help you memorize the sequence of steps in complex skills that contain a large number of steps or variations
- Case presentations and scenarios used in class to help you learn how to apply the knowledge and skills acquired to situations that you will find in the field
Americans with disability act (ADA)
Was created in 1990, it protects people who have a disability from being denied access to programs and services that are provided by state or local government’s and prohibits employers from failing to provide full and equal employment to the disabled
When was the publication of accidental death and disability: the neglected disease of modern society?
1966
National EMS scope of practice model
This document provides over arching guidelines for the minimum skills each level of EMS providers should be able to accomplish
Automated external defibrillator (AED)
Detect treatable life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation and tachycardia) deliver the appropriate electrical shock to the patient
Public Safety access point
Emergency communication center the dispatches fire, police, rescue, and EMS units that can be reached by dialing 911. Trained dispatchers send out the necessary units and equipment that may be needed
GPS
Global Positioning System
Emergency medical dispatch (EMD)
Was developed to assist dispatchers in providing callers with vital instructions to help them deal with a medical emergency until EMS crews arrive
Primary service area
The PSA is the main area in which An EMS agency operates
Medical director
If physician who authorizes the EMTs in service to provide medical care in the field. They determine the appropriate care for each injury, condition, or illness that you will encounter in the field
Medical control
Provided either off-line or online, as authorized by the medical director
Online medical control
Consists of direction given over the phone or radio directly from the medical director or designated physician
Off-line medical control
Consists of standing orders, training, and supervision authorized by the medical director
Mobile integrated healthcare (MIH)
A new method of delivering healthcare that utilizes the prehospital spectrum. Has a goal to facilitate improved access to healthcare at an affordable price. In the MIH model, health care is provided within the community rather than a physicians office or hospital
Community paramedicine
Experienced paramedics receive advanced training to equip them to provide services within a community
Quality control
Ensurance that all staff members who are involved in caring for patients meet appropriate medical care standards on each call
Continuous quality improvement (CQI)
A circular system of continuous internal and asked ternal reviews and audits of all aspects of an ems system. This process is designed to identify areas of improvement and if necessary a sign remedial training or develop some other educational activity
What are the three possible sources of error’s in EMS?
Knowledge based failure, rules-based failure, and skills-based failure
Public health
Examines the health needs of entire populations with the goal of preventing health problems
Primary prevention
Focuses on strategies that will prevent the event from ever happening.
A good example of primary prevention is a vaccination
Secondary prevention
I’m secondary prevention, the event has already happened. The question is how can we decrease the effects of this event? For example, wearing a helmet or a seatbelt to help prevent falling off of a bike, or a car collision.
Roles and responsibilities of an emt
- keep vehicles and equipment ready
- your safety of yourself, your partners, and bystanders
- be an on scene leader
- perform an evaluation of the scene
- call for additional resources as needed
- gain patient access
- perform patient assessment
- give emergency medical care to the patient while awaiting the arrival of additional medical resources
- give emotional support to the family and friends
- maintain continuity of care working with other EMS professionals
Health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPPA)
A United States law that protects the medical information about patients
