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Following the recent nerve agents poisonings in the United Kingdom, the emergency response community has requested information and advice to enhance preparedness. “Nerve Agent Information for Emergency Medical Services and Hospitals” serves as a refresher on standard protocols for recognizing, treating, and protecting oneself from nerve agent exposures. The document also compares and contrasts the […]
As an emergency physician, EMS medical director, and now director of the NHTSA Office of EMS, I have worked closely with EMS providers whose dedication to their patients and their colleagues often goes unrecognized. As we celebrate another EMS Week, I want to thank each of you, your families and all the people who make […]
Mass casualty incidents usually don’t adhere to jurisdictional boundaries and response often involves multiple agencies, regions and states. The Model Uniform Core Criteria for Mass Casualty Incident Triage (MUCC) were created to help ensure that every responder is using triage protocols that follow similar evidence-based standards. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has […]
For the past 12 years, Advanced Automatic Collision Notification (AACN) technology has been a part of modern EMS field triage and response. During a collision, vehicles with AACN capability transmit crash data to Telematics Service Providers, who verbally relay the information to local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Dispatchers at the PSAP can alert first […]
Every day, EMS providers gather important patient and response data from traffic crashes throughout the country. EMS researchers, as well as local and state EMS systems, often use this data, but its usefulness can go well beyond the EMS community. Thanks to a new tool made possible by the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS), anyone can now […]
Most EMS providers are familiar with the lack of closure that comes from caring for a patient on the way to the emergency department, but not finding out the patient’s outcome after care is turned over to the hospital staff. This lack of follow-up can be frustrating and may also be a missed opportunity for […]
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 […]
EMS providers are critical to public health and safety. They are also at high risk for injuries at work, especially sprains, strains, falls, and exposures to body fluids. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) just released an infographic that aims to prevent these kinds of injuries and exposures to protect EMS providers, […]
In August, the National EMS Advisory Council finalized and approved five recommendations for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS) and the EMS community. Practice Analysis of Mobile Integrated Healthcare Systems and Community Paramedicine Changing the Nomenclature of Emergency Medical Services EMS Utilization of Controlled Substances Mental Health […]
At a recent meeting of the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS, representatives of several Federal agencies approved a letter to the White House requesting a meeting to discuss issues raised by a recent landmark report on the nation’s trauma system. “A national trauma system, that integrates military and civilian capabilities, is a crucial part of […]
