Emergency Medical Services

Emergency medical service (known by the acronym of "EMS" in the USA and Canada) is a branch of medicine that is performed in the field, pre-hospital, (i.e., the streets, peoples' homes, etc.) by paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs in US terminology), and Medical first responders (MFRs - US terminology).

Related Topics:
Acronym - USA - Canada - Paramedic - Emergency medical technician - Terminology - Medical first responder

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In the US, although not commonly understood, EMS systems provide emergency care that is almost on par with that of an emergency room. Equipment and procedures are obviously limited, due to the nature of the environment that EMS personnel must work in. EMS providers work under the license and indirect supervision of a medical director or board-certified physician who oversees the policies and protocols of a particular EMS system or organization.

Related Topics:
Emergency room - Medical director - Physician

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EMS professionals are trained to follow a formal and carefully designed decision tree, more commonly referred to as a protocol or standard of care, which has been created and approved by physicians. The emphasis in emergency services is on following correct procedure quickly and accurately rather than on making in-depth diagnosis which requires much professional experience. The use of a decision tree allows EMS workers to be trained in a much shorter time than physicians, with EMT-Basic classes, for example, as short as 4-5 months. Paramedic training is the highest level of EMT, and allows advanced airway skills including airway tube placement, emergency creation of an airway (crichothyrotomy), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.

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National EMS standards for the US are drawn up by the U.S. Department of Transportation and modified from state to state by the state's Department of EMS (usually under its Department of Health), and further altered by Regional Medical Advisory Committees (usually in rural areas) or by other committees or even individual EMS providers. Also see emergency medical technician. In addition, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, an independent body, was created in 1970 at the recommendation of President Lyndon B. Johnson in an effort to provide a nationwide consensus on protocols and a nationally accepted certification. National Registry certification is widely accepted in some parts of the U.S., while other areas still maintain their own, separate protocols and training curricula.

Related Topics:
Department of Health - Emergency medical technician - Lyndon B. Johnson

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