scholarly journals Value Generation and Health Reform in Emergency Medical Services

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc-David Munk
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Health Reform ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Value Assessment ◽  
Emergency Medical

AbstractAmerican Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies largely have been untouched by the dramatic health care reform efforts underway, although change seems imminent. Clarifying the role of the modern EMS system, and the yardsticks used to evaluate its performance, will be a challenge.This paper introduces the concept of value (or outcomes to cost ratio) in EMS, and offers value assessment as a means by which reform decisions can be framed. The best reform decisions are those that optimize both costs and outcomes. This includes: (1) attention to the patient experience; (2) disallowing the provision of unhelpful, harmful or disproven prehospital care; and (3) expanding patient dispositions beyond Emergency Departments. Costs of care will need to be tracked carefully and acknowledged. Value generation should serve as the goal of ongoing EMS reform efforts.Munk MD. Value generation and health reform in emergency medical services. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-4.

Guidelines for Pediatric Emergency Care Facilities

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 526-537
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Pediatric Emergency ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Trained Personnel ◽  
Pediatric Emergency Care

Emergency care for life-threatening pediatric illness and injury requires specialized resources including equipment, drugs, trained personnel, and facilities. The American Medical Association Commission on Emergency Medical Services has provided guidelines for the categorization of hospital pediatric emergency facilities that have been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).1 This document was used as the basis for these revised guidelines, which define: 1. The desirable characteristics of a system of Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) that may help achieve a reduction in mortality and morbidity, including long-term disability. 2. The role of health care facilities in identifying and organizing the resources necessary to provide the best possible pediatric emergency care within a region. 3. An integrated system of facilities that provides timely access and appropriate levels of care for all critically ill or injured children. 4. The responsibility of the health cane facility for support of medical control of pre-hospital activities and the pediatric emergency care and education of pre-hospital providers, nurses, and physicians. 5. The role of pediatric centers in providing outreach education and consultation to community facilities. 6. The role of health cane facilities for maintaining communication with the medical home of the patient. Children have their emergency care needs met in a variety of settings, from small community hospitals to large medical centers. Resources available to these health care sites vary, and they may not always have the necessary equipment, supplies, and trained personnel required to meet the special needs of pediatric patients during emergency situations.

Incidence and Outcomes after Out-of-Hospital Medical Emergencies in Gambia: A Case for the Integration of Prehospital Care and Emergency Medical Services in Primary Health Care

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 650-657
Author(s):  
Sunkaru Touray ◽  
Baboucarr Sanyang ◽  
Gregory Zandrow ◽  
Isatou Touray
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Medical Emergencies

AbstractBackgroundThe Gambia is going through a rapid epidemiologic transition with a dual disease burden of infections and non-communicable diseases occurring at the same time. Acute, time-sensitive, medical emergencies such as trauma, obstetric emergencies, respiratory failure, and stroke are leading causes of morbidity and mortality among adults in the country.ProblemData on medical emergency care and outcomes are lacking in The Gambia. Data on self-reported medical emergencies among adults in a selection of Gambian communities are presented in this report.MethodsA total of 320 individuals were surveyed from 34 communities in the greater Banjul area of The Gambia using a survey instrument estimating the incidence of acute medical emergencies in an adult population. Self-reported travel time to a health facility during medical emergencies and patterns of health-seeking behavior with regard to type of facility visited and barriers to accessing emergency care, including cost and medical insurance coverage, are presented in this report.ResultsOf the 320 individuals surveyed, 262 agreed to participate resulting in a response rate of 82%. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported an acute medical emergency in the preceding year that required urgent evaluation at a health facility. The most common facility visited during such emergencies was a health center. Eighty-seven percent of respondents reported a travel time of less than one hour during medical emergencies. Out-of-pocket cost of medications accounted for the highest expenditure during emergencies. There was a low awareness and willingness to subscribe to health insurance among individuals surveyed.Conclusion: There is a high incidence of acute medical emergencies among adults in The Gambia which are associated with adverse outcomes due to a combination of poor health literacy, high out-of-pocket expenditures on medications, and poor access to timely prehospital emergency care. There is an urgent need to develop prehospital acute care and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the primary health sector as part of a strategy to reduce mortality and morbidity in the country.TourayS, SanyangB, ZandrowG, TourayI. Incidence and outcomes after out-of-hospital medical emergencies in Gambia: a case for the integration of prehospital care and Emergency Medical Services in primary health care. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(6):650–657.

scholarly journals Digital Infrastructure as a Component of Emergency Medical Services Transformation

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 138-146
Author(s):  
Svitlana MALONOHA
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Digital Infrastructure ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Definition Of

The importance of digital infrastructure for the transformation of emergency medical services as one of the priority areas of public policy and public authorities are considered. Some approaches to the definition of digital infrastructure are studied. This study made it possible to identify the components of the digital infrastructure of emergency medical services and outline its role in the health care ecosystem. The approach to the application of the modular architecture of the digital infrastructure of emergency medical services as a conceptual basis for the integration of information systems of different departments into a single emergency system is considered. Exist two groups of mechanisms that influence the formation of the digital infrastructure of emergency medical services and indicate the causal links that explain how their use can lead to the transformation of emergency medical services. The range of tasks that are solve due to the digital infrastructure aimed at improving the efficiency, accuracy of diagnosis and provision of emergency medical services is outlined. New opportunities are opening up to improve the quality of emergency medical services provision in a human-centered health care system based on a digital infrastructure, the central elements of which are the exchange of information contained in electronic records and patient health cards and mobile digital devices, diagnostics and information transfer. The list of problems on the way of emergency medical services transformation is formulated and some recommendations for their solution are offered, the formulation of which is based on the analysis of existing practices and own long-term experience at the emergency medical services system.

Prehospital Care for Victims of Submersion

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-626
Author(s):  
MARTHA BUSHORE
Keyword(s):  
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Study Results

In this issue of Pediatrics is a study1 that represents a milestone in the growth and development of Emergency Medical Services for Children systems. Linda Quan and co-workers provide us with a study of victims of submersion who were less than 20 years of age and who received care during a 10-years interval in an Emergency Medical Services unit and required hospitalization or died. Because the majority of these submersions occurred in the urban setting of King Country with the rapid response of Emergency Medical Services units and reliable recording of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) data, the study results are impressively complete.

Pediatric Prehospital Care in Urban and Rural Areas

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 681-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Seidel ◽  
Deborah Parkman Henderson ◽  
Patrick Ward ◽  
Barbara Wray Wayland ◽  
Beverly Ness
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Medical

There are limited data concerning pediatric prehospital care, although pediatric prehospital calls constitute 10% of emergency medical services activity. Data from 10 493 prehospital care reports in 11 counties of California (four emergency medical services systems in rural and urban areas) were collected and analyzed. Comparison of urban and rural data found few significant differences in parameters analyzed. Use of the emergency medical services system by pediatric patients increased with age, but 12.5% of all calls were for children younger than 2 years. Calls for medical problems were most common for patients younger than 5 years of age; trauma was a more common complaint in rural areas (64%, P = .0001). Frequency of vital sign assessment differed by region, as did hospital contact (P < .0001). Complete assessment of young pediatric patients, with a full set of vital signs and neurologic assessment, was rarely performed. Advanced life support providers were often on the scene, but advanced life support treatments and procedures were infrequently used. This study suggests the need for additional data on which to base emergency medical services system design and some directions for education of prehospital care providers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document