Chap 1 - Intro to ALS Care.txt

Paramedic

EMT-Paramedic: National Standard Curriculum

• First Responder = Emergency Medical Responder
• EMT Basic = EMT
• EMT Intermediate = EMT Advanced
• EMT-P = Paramedic

Comprehensive network of personnel, equipment & resources established for the purposes of delivering aid & emergency medical care to the community

basic life-saving procedures (ie. artificial ventilation, & CPR)

advanced life saving procedures (ie. IV therapy, drug therapy, intubation & defibrillation)

Jean Larrey

Method of sorting patients by the severity of their injuries

Accidental Death & Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society

National Highway Safety Act - established US Dept. of Transportation - forces States to create EMS systems

Emergency Medical Services Systems Act

• 1) Manpower
• 2) Training
• 3) Communications
• 4) Transportation
• 5) Emergency Facilities
• 6) CCU
• 7) Public Safety Agencies
• 8) Consumer Participation
• 9) Access to Care
• 10) Patient Transfer
• 11) Standardized record keeping
• 12) Public info & education
• 13) Systems review & evaluation
• 14) Disaster management plans
• 15) Mutual Aid

medical policies, procedures & practices that are available to providers either on-line or off-line

• 1) Regulation & policy
• 2) Resources mgmt
• 3) HR & training
• 4) Transportation
• 5) Facilities
• 6) Communications
• 7) Trauma Systems
• 8) Public info & education
• 9) Medical Direction
• 10) Evaluation

Medical facility that has the capability of caring for the acutely injured person

An evaluation program that emphasizes service & uses customer satisfaction as the ultimate indicator of system performace

• 1) Intergration of health services
• 2) EMS research
• 3) Legislation & regulation
• 4) System finance
• 5) HR
• 6) Medical Direction
• 7) Education systems
• 8) Public education
• 9) Prevention
• 10) Public access
• 11) Communications systems
• 12) Clinical care
• 13) Information Systems
• 14) Evaluation

Physician who is legally responisble for all of the clinical & patient care aspects of the EMS system

When a qualified physician gives direct orders to a prehospital provider either by radio or phone

A licensed physician, professionally unrelated to patients on scene, who attempts to assist EMS providers with patient care

Medical policies, procedures & practices that medical direction has set up in advance of a call

Policies & procedures for all components of an EMS system

• 1) Triage
• 2) Treatment
• 3) Transport
• 4) Transfer

• 1) Citizen Acess
• 2) Single Control Center
• 3) Operational Communications Capabilities
• 4) Medical Communications Capabilities
• 5) Communications Hardware
• 6) Communications Software

EMS person medically & technically trained to assign emergency medical resources to a medical emergency

• BLS = 4 minutes
• ALS = 8 minutes

The process by which an agency or association grants recognition to an individual who has met its qualifications

Process by which a gov't agency grants Permission to engage in a given occupation to a person who has attained the degree of competency required to ensure the public's protection

Existence of a specialized body of knowledge or skills

Process by which an agency grants automatic certification or licensure to a person who has comparable certification/licensure from another agency

200 miles

American College of Surgeons Committee (ACSC)

American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Type I: conventional cab & chassis on a module ambulance body, no passageway b/t driver & patient compartment

Type II: standard van formed as one unit, must have raised roof

Type III: specialty van with forward cab, passageway b/t driver & patient compartment

• Level 1: highest level of care
• Level 2: may not have specialty peds or neurosurgery on site
• Level 3: Doesn't have immediate surgical facilites available

• 1) Leadership
• 2) Information & Analysis
• 3) Strategic quality planning
• 4) HR development & mngmnt
• 5) EMS process mngmnt
• 6) EMS systems results
• 7) Pt satisfaction

Program designed to maintain continuous monitoring & measurement of the quality of clinical care given

Program designed to refine & improve an EMS system

Joseph P. Ornato

Guidelines for permitting a new medication, process, or procedure to be used in EMS on the basis of proven efficacy

• 1) Theoretical basis for change
• 2) Ample research
• 3) Clinically important
• 4) Practical, affordable, & teachable

The study of how disease affects normal body processes

• 1) Preparation
• 2) Response
• 3) Scene size-up
• 4) Pt assessment
• 5) Pt management
• 6) Disposition & transfer
• 7) Documentation
• 8) Cleanup, maintenance & review

• 1) Leadership
• 2) Integrity
• 3) Empathy
• 4) Self-motivation
• 5) Professional appearance & hygiene
• 6) Self-confidence
• 7) Communication skills
• 8) Time management skills
• 9) Diplomacy in teamwork
• 10) Respect
• 11) Patient advocacy
• 12) Careful delivery of service

Active exercise performed against stable resistence - motionless manner

Muscles are worked thru a range of motion

• 1) Cardio
• 2) Strength & flexibility
• 3) Nutrition & weight control
• 4) Disease prevention
• 5) No harmful habits/addictions
• 6) Back Safety

Any disease caused by the growth of pathogenic microorganisms - which may be spread from person-to-person

Microorganisms capable of producing disease

The time between contact with a disease organism & the appearance of the 1st symptoms

Strict form of infection control that is based on the assumption that all blood & other body fluids are infectious

Equipment used in EMS personnel to protect against injury & the spread of infectious disease

• 1) Denial
• 2) Anger
• 3) Bargaining
• 4) Depression
• 5) Acceptance

• 1) Alarm
• 2) Resistance
• 3) Exhaustion

Physiological phenomena that occurs approx. 24 hr intervels

• 1) Daily
• 2) Small incidents
• 3) Large incidents & disasters

Study of factors that influence the frequency, distribution & causes of injury, disease & other health-related events in a population

Age at death minus 65

Intentional or unintentional damage to a person resulting from exposure to mechanical or any other form of energy or from an absence of essentials such as heat or oxygen

A situation that puts people in danger of injury

Social, religious, or personal standards standards of right & wrong

Rules & standards that govern the conduct of members of a particular group or profession

The principle of doing good for the patient

The obligation not to harm the patient

PRIMUM NON NOCERE

A competent adult patient's right to determine what happens to his own body

• 1) State the action in a universal form
• 2) List implications/consequences of the action
• 3) Compare them to relevent values

Asks whether you would be willing to undergo this procedure or test if you were in patient's place

Would you want this action performed in ALL circumstances

Asks whether you can defend or justify your actions to others