• May 7th, 2018

90-day public comment period is open for Request for Information to improve pre-hospital trauma care.

Each year, nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. die from traumatic injuries. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) estimate as many as 20% of these deaths could have been prevented. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on behalf of the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS), is seeking comments by July 26, 2018 on the effectiveness of current treatment efforts and opportunities to improve prehospital trauma care.

The Request for Information (RFI) seeks public input on areas in which improved prehospital care could help save lives. In 2016, NASEM released A National Trauma Care System, a report that defined preventable deaths after injury as those casualties whose lives could have been saved by appropriate and timely medical care, regardless of tactical, logistical, or environmental issues. The RFI asks respondents from all backgrounds and areas of expertise to provide input on a range of issues including opportunities for medical collaboration, EMS data integration, and the possibility of cross-training military EMS resources with civilian EMS.

Comments may be submitted:

  • Online through the Federal eRulemaking Portal (identified by Docket No. NHTSA-2018-0056)
  • Through mail or hand delivery to: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590

For more information, please contact Gamunu Wijetunge with the NHTSA Office of EMS atgamunu.wijetunge@dot.gov.