EMT Chapters 1-4

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 life-saving procedures, some of which are now being provided by the EMT

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

Comprehensive legislation that is designed to protect people with disabilities against discrimination

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

A device that detects treatable life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias (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 care.

Community Paramedicine

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

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)

A system of internal and external reviews and audits of all aspects of an EMS system aiming at improving outcomes

Credentialing

An established process to determine the qualifications necessary to be allowed to practice a particular profession, or to function as an organization

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)

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

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)

A first trained professional, such as police officer, firefighter, lifeguard, or other rescuer, who may arrive first at the scene of an emergency to provide initial medical assistance

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

A multidisciplinary system that represents the combined efforts of several professionals and agencies to provide prehospital emergency care to the sick and injured

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

Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)

An approach to medicine where decisions are based on well-conducted research, classifying recommendations based on the strength of the scientific evidence; also called science-based medicine

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 Therapy (IV)

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

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

Mobile Integrated Health Care (MIH)

A method of delivering health care that 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

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

Public Health

The branch of medicine that is 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

Oversight by 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

Acute Stress Reactions

Reactions to stress that occur during a traumatic situation

Aerosol-Generating Procedure

Treatments that increase the risk for transmission of infections that are spread through the air or by droplets; CPR is an example

Airborne Transmission

The spread of an organism via droplets or dust

Bloodborne Pathogens

Pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Burnout

A combination of exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced performance resulting from long term job stresses in health care and other high-stress professions

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The primary federal agency that conducts and supports public health activities in the United States. The CDC is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services

Communicable Disease

A disease that can be spread from one person or species to another

Compassion Fatigue

A stress disorder characterized by gradual lessening of compassion over time

Concealment

The use of objects to limit a person's ability to see you

Contamination

The presence of infectious organisms on or in objects such as dressings, water, food, needles, wounds, or a patient's body

Cover

The tactical use of an impenetrable barrier for protection

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)

A process that confronts the responses to critical incidents and defuses them, directing the emergency services personnel toward physical and emotional equilibrium

Cumulative Stress Reactions

Prolonged or excessive stress

Delayed Stress Reactions

Reactions to stress that occur after a stressful situation

Designated Officer

The individual in the department who is charged with the responsibility of managing exposures and infection control issues

Direct Contact

Exposure or transmission of a communicable disease from one person to another by physical contact

Distress

A negative response to a stressor

Eustress

A beneficial response to a stressor

Exposure

A situation in which a person has had contact with blood, body fluids, tissues, or airborne particles in a manner that suggests disease transmission may occur

Foodborne Transmission

The contamination of food or water with an organism than can cause disease

General Adaptation Syndrome

The body's response to stress that begins with an alarm response, followed by a stage of reaction and resistance, and then recovery or, if the stress is prolonged, exhaustion

Hepatitis

Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by a viral infection, that causes fever, loss of appetite, jaundice, fatigue, and altered liver function

Host

The organism or individual that is attacked by the infecting agent

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by

HIV, which damages the cells in the body's immune system so that the body is unable to fight infection or certain cancers

Immune

The body's ability to protect itself from acquiring a disease

Indirect Contact

Exposure or transmission of disease from one person to another by contact with a contaminated object

Infection

The abnormal invasion of a host or host tissues by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites, with or without signs or symptoms of disease

Infection Control

Procedures to reduce transmission of infection among patients and health care personnel

Infectious Disease

A medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The federal regulatory compliance agency that develops, publishes, and enforces guidelines concerning safety in the workplace

Pathogen

A microorganism that is capable of causing disease in a susceptible host

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Protective equipment that blocks exposure to a pathogen or a hazardous material

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A delayed stress reaction to a prior incident. Often the result of one or more unresolved issues concerning the incident, and may relate to an incident that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm

Resilience

The capacity of an individual to cope with and recover from distress

Standard Precautions

Protective measures that have traditionally been developed by the CDC for use in dealing with objects, blood, body fluids, and other potential exposure risks of communicable disease

Transmission

The way in which an infectious disease is spread: contact, airborne, by vehicles, or by vectors

Vector-Borne Transmission

The use of an animal to spread an organism from one person or place to another

Wellness

The active pursuit of a state of good health

Abandonment

Unilateral termination of care by the EMT without the patient's consent and without making provisions for transferring care to another medical professional with the skills and training necessary to meet the needs of the patient

Advance Directive

Written documentation that specifies medical treatment for a competent patient should the patient become unable to make decisions; also called a living will or health care directive

Algor Mortis

Cooling of the body after death until it matches the ambient temperature

Applied Ethics

The manner in which principles of ethics are incorporated into professional conduct

Assault

Unlawfully placing a patient in fear of bodily harm

Battery

Unlawfully touching a patient or providing emergency care without consent

Bioethics

The study of ethics related to issues that arise in health care

Breach of Confidentiality

Disclosure of information without proper authorization

Compensatory Damages

Damages awarded in a civil lawsuit that are intended to restore the plaintiff to the same condition that he or she was in prior to the incident

Competent

Able to make rational decisions about personal well-being

Consent

Permission to render care

Contributory Negligence

A legal defense that may be raised when the defendant thinks that the conduct of the plaintiff somehow contributed to any injuries or damages that were sustained by the plaintiff

Decision-Making Capacity

Ability to understand and process information and make a choice regarding appropriate medical care

Defamation

The communication of false information about a person that is damaging to that person's reputation or standing in the community

Dependent Lividity

Blood settling to the lowest point of the body, causing discoloration of the skin; a definitive sign of death

Depositions

Oral questions asked of parties and witnesses under oath

Discovery

The phase of a civil lawsuit where the plaintiff and defense obtain information from each other that will enable the attorneys to have a better understanding of the case and which will assist in negotiating a possible settlement or in preparing for trial. Discovery includes depositions, interrogatories, and demands for production of records

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)

Written documentation by a physician giving permission to medical personnel not to attempt resuscitation in the event of cardiac arrest

Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

A type of advance directive executed by a competent adult that appoints another individual to make medical treatment decisions on his or her behalf, in the event that the person making the appointment loses decision-making capacit

Duty to Act

A medicolegal term relating to certain personnel who either by statute or by function have a responsibility to provide care

Emancipated Minor

A person who is under the legal age in a given state but, because of other circumstances, is legally considered an adult

Emergency

A serious situation, such as injury or illness that threatens the life or welfare of a person or group of people and requires immediate intervention

Emergency Doctrine

The principle of law that permits a health care provider to treat a patient in an emergency situation when the patient is incapable of granting consent because of an altered level of consciousness, disability, the effects of drugs or alcohol, or the patient's age

Emergency Medical Care

Immediate care or treatment

Ethics

The philosophy of right and wrong, of moral duties, and of ideal professional behavior

Expressed Consent

A type of consent in which a patient gives verbal or nonverbal authorization for provision of care or transport

False Imprisonment

The confinement of a person without legal authority or the person's consent

Forcible Restraint

The act of physically preventing an individual from initiating any physical action

Good Samaritan Laws

Statutory provisions enacted by many states to protect citizens from liability for errors and omissions in giving good-faith emergency medical care, unless there is wanton, gross, or willful negligence

Governmental Immunity

Legal doctrine that can protect an EMS provider from being sued or that may limit the amount of the monetary judgment that the plaintiff may recover; generally applies only to EMS systems that are operated by municipalities or other governmental entities

Gross Negligence

Conduct that constitutes a willful or reckless disregard for a duty or standard of care

Health Care Directive

A written document that specifies medical treatment for a competent patient, should he or she become unable to make decisions. Also known as an advance directive or a living will

Health Care Proxy

A type of advance directive executed by a competent adult that appoints another individual to make medical treatment decisions on his or her behalf in the event that the person making the appointment loses decision-making capacity. Also known as a durable power of attorney for health care

Implied Consent

Type of consent in which a patient who is unable to give consent is given treatment under the legal assumption that he or she would want treatment

Informed Consent

Permission for treatment given by a competent patient after the potential risks, benefits, and alternatives to treatment have been explained