Chapter 1 - Introduction to EMS Flashcards
The EMT’s responsibilities include (5):
- safety
- assessment and care
- lifting, moving, and transporting
- transfer of care
- patient advocatecy
evidence-based techniques
techniques or practices that are supported by scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy, rather than merely by supposition and tradition.
medical direction
oversight of the patient-care aspects of an EMS system by the Medical Director. Direction can be either off-line or on-line
Medical Director
a physician who assumes ultimate responsibility for the patient-care aspects of the EMS system.
911 system
a system for telephone access to report emergencies. A dispatcher takes the information and alerts EMS or the fire or police department as needed. Enhanced 911 also identifies the caller’s phone number and location automatically.
off-line medical direction
standing orders issued by the Medical Director that allow EMTs to give certain medications or perform certain procedures without speaking to the Medical Director or another physician.
on-line medical direction
orders from the on-duty physician given directly to an EMT in the field by radio or telephone.
patient outcomes
the long-term survival of patients.
peer reviewed
submitted to a professional journal and reviewed by several of the researcher’s peers.
protocols
lists of steps, such as assessments and interventions, to be taken in different situations. Protocols are developed by the Medical Director of an EMS system.
quality improvement
a process of continual self-review with the purpose of identifying and correcting aspects of the system that require improvement.
standing orders
policies or protocols issued by a Medical Director that authorize EMTs and others to perform particular skills in certain situations.
four national levels of EMS training and certification are…
- Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)
- Paramedic.
