Chapter 1: EMS Systems Flashcards
Alternative Time Sampling
Time parameters that are set during a research project.
Blinding
The method of not giving the specifics of a project to the people participating in a research or study.
Case Study
A type of research in which a single case is investigated and documented over a period of time.
Certification
A process in which a person, an institution, or a program is evaluated and recognized as meeting certain predetermined standards to provide safe and ethical care.
Cohort Research
A type of research that examines patterns of change, a sequence of events, or trends over time within a certain population of study subjects.
Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)
An organization that develops continuing education standards and is involved in setting accreditation standards and for prehospital providers; formerly called the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
A system of internal and external reviews and audits of all aspects of an EMS system.
Convenience Sampling
A type of research in which subjects are manually assigned to a specific person or crew, rather than being randomly assigned; the least-preferred component of research.
Cross-Sectional Design
A data collection method in which all data at one point in time is collected, essentially serving as a “snapshot” of events and information.
Descriptive
A research format in which an observation of an event is made, but without attempts to alter or change it.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
A health care system designed to bring immediate on-scene care to those in need along with transport to a definitive medical care facility.
Ethical
A behavior expected by a person or group following a set of rules.
Evidence-based Practice
The use of practices that have been proven to be effective in improving patient outcomes.
Health Care Professional
A person who follows specific professional attributes that are outlined in this profession.
Inferential
A research format that uses a hypothesis to prove one finding form another.
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
A group or institution that follows a set of requirements for review that were devised by the US Public Health Service.
Licensure
The process whereby a state allows qualified people to preform a regulated act.
Literature Review
A form of research in which the existing literature is reviewed, and the researcher analyzes the collection of research to draw a conclusion.
Longitudinal Design
A data collection method in which information is collected at various set time intervals, and not just at one time.
Medical Direction
Direction given to an EMS system or provider by a physician.
Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICUs)
An early title given to an ambulance-style unit.
Off-line (Indirect) Medical Control
Medical direction given through a set of protocols, policies, and/or standards.
Parameters
Outlined measures that may be difficult to obtain in a research project.
Peer Review
The process used by medical magazines, journals, and other publications to ensure the quality and validity of an article before it is published, and which involves sending the article to subject matter experts for review of the content and research methods.
Profession
A specialized set of knowledge, skills, and/or expertise.
Prospective Research
A type of research that gathers information as events occur in real time.
Protocol
A treatment plan developed for a specific illness or injury.
Qualitative
A type of descriptive statistic in research that does not use numeric information.
Quality Control
The responsibility of the medical director to ensure the appropriate medical care standards are met by EMS personnel on each all.
Quantitative
A type of measurement in research in that uses as mean, median, and mode.
Reciprocity
The process of granting licensure or certification to a provider from another state or agency.
Registration
Providing information to an entity that store sit in some form of record book. In the context of EMS, records of your education, state or local licensure, and recertification are held by a recognized board.
Research Agenda
The specific questions that a study aims to answer, and the precise methods in which the data will be gathered.
Research Consortium
A group of agencies working together to study a particular topic.
Research Domain
The area (clinical, basic science, systems, or education) that will be impacted by a study.
Retrospective Research
Research performed from current available information.
Safety Culture
In an EMS organization, a system of beliefs and practices that: (1) acknowledge that organizations engage in high-risk activities, (2) determine the importance of consistent safe operations to counteract these activities, (3) support a blame-free environment where errors can be reported without fear of punishment, and (4) maintain organizational commitment to address reported errors and safety concerns.
Sampling Errors
Expected errors that occur in the sampling phase of research.
Standard Deviation
A measure of a the range of scores in a set of data relative to the mean score.
Standing Order
A type of protocol that is written document signed by the EMS system’s medical director that outlines specific directions, permissions, and sometimes prohibitions regarding patient care that is rendered prior to contacting medical control.
Systematic Sampling
A computer-generated list of subjects or groups for research.
Trauma Systems
The collaboration of prehospital and in-hospital medicine that focuses on optimizing the use of resources and assets of each with a primary goal of reducing the mortality and morbidity of trauma patients.
Unblinded Study
A type of study in which the subjects are advised of all aspects of the study.
