Chapter 1: Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

A team of health care professionals who, in each area or jurisdiction, are responsible for and provide emergency care and transportation to the sick and injured.

Advanced EMT (AEMT)

An individual who has training in specific aspects of advanced life support, such as intravenous therapy, and the administration of certain emergency medications.

Advanced life support (ALS)

Advanced lifesaving procedures, including cardiac monitoring, administration of intravenous fluids and medications, and the use of advanced airway adjuncts. EMTs may be trained in some of these areas.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Comprehensive legislation that is designed to protect individuals with disabilities against discrimination.

Automated external defibrillator (AED)

A device that detects treatable life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia's (ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia) and delivers the appropriate electrical shock to the patient.

Certification

A process in which a person, an institution, or a program is evaluated and recognized as meeting certain predetermined standards to provide safe and ethical patient care.

Community Paramedicine (CP)

A health care model in which experienced paramedics receive advanced training to equip them to provide additional services in the pre- hospital environment, such as health evaluations, monitoring of chronic illnesses or conditions, and patient advocacy.

Continous quality improvement (CQI)

A system of internal and external reviews and audits of all aspects of an EMS system.

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)

A system that assists dispatchers in selecting appropriate units to respond to a particular call for assistance and in providing callers with vital instructions until the arrival of EMS crews.

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)

The first trained professional, such as a police officer, firefighters, lifeguard, or other rescuer, to arrive at the scene of an emergency to provide initial medical assistance.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

An individual who has training in basic life support, including automated external defibrillation, use of a definitive airway adjunct, and assisting patients with certain medications.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Federal legislation passed in 1996. Its main effect in EMS is in limiting availability of patients' health care information and penalizing violations of patient privacy.

Intravenous (IV) Therapy

The delivery of medication directly into a vein.

Licensure

The process whereby a competent authority, usually the state, allows people to perform a regulated act.

Medical Control

Physician instructions given directly by radio or cell phone (online/direct) or indirectly by protocol/guidelines (off-line/indirect), as authorized by the medical director of the service program.

Medical Director (MD)

The physician who authorizes or delegates to the EMT the authority to provide medical care in the field.

Mobile integrated healthcare (MIH)

A method of delivering health care which involves providing health care within the community rather than at a physician's office or hospital.

National EMS Scope of Practice Model

A document created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that outlines the skills performed by various EMS providers.

Paramedic

An individual who has extensive training in advanced life support, including endotracheal intubation, emergency pharmacology, cardiac monitoring, and other advanced assessment and treatment skills.

Primary Prevention

Efforts to prevent an injury or illness from ever occurring.

Primary service area (PSA)

The designated area in which the EMS agency is responsible for the provision of prehospital emergency care and transportation to the hospital.

Public Health

Focused on examining the health needs of entire populations with the goal of preventing health problems.

Public Safety Access Point

A call center, staffed by trained personnel who are responsible for managing requests for police, fire, and ambulance services.

Quality Control

The responsibility of the medical director to ensure the appropriate medical care standards are met by EMTs on each call.

Secondary Prevention

Efforts to limit the effects of an injury or illness that you cannot completely prevent.