Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – Key Concepts Review

Continuing Education and Certification

  • Continuing education required to renew certification.
  • Keep up-to-date on new procedures and issues on local, state, and national levels.
  • Maintain knowledge and skills.

Professional Appearance

  • First Responders should also maintain a professional appearance and manner.

Characteristics of a Good First Responder

  • Puts patient's needs as a priority without endangering self.
  • Maintains professional appearance and manner.
  • Performs under pressure.
  • Treats patients and families with understanding, respect, and compassion.
  • Respects patient confidentiality.
  • Gentle — easily managed or handled.
  • Emotionally Stable — stability of emotions.
  • Responsible — being accountable for one's actions and decisions.
  • Considerate — showing concern for the feelings of others.
  • Resourceful — capable of dealing with difficult situations.
  • Observant — paying close attention to detail; watchful.

Duties of a Good First Responder

  • 1. Protect your safety, the safety of your crew, the bystander and the patient.
  • 2. Gain access to the patient.
  • 3. Assess the patient to identify life-threatening problems.
  • 4. Alert additional/back-up EMS resources.
  • 5. Provide care based on assessment findings.
  • 6. Assist other EMS personnel in assessing the scene & patient.
  • 7. Participate in record keeping & data collection as received.
  • 8. Act as liaison with other public safety workers (i.e., PNP, BFP).
  • 9. Perform patient packaging and preparation for transportation.

Duties of a Good First Responder (continued)

  • The sequence above complements the initial duties (1–5) by emphasizing safety, access, assessment, coordination, and hand-off tasks during an EMS response.

Emergency First Responder (EFR) Training

  • Focuses on:
    • Providing immediate BLS and urgent care with limited equipment.
    • Familiarizing with procedures, equipment, and packaging.
    • Additional techniques that responders may be called to do.
  • May assist other EMS responders.
  • EFR is the first person on the scene of an incident with emergency care skills typically trained to the most basic EMS level.

Objectives of First Aid

  • 1. To alleviate suffering.
  • 2. To prevent further injury and danger.
  • 3. To Prolong Life.

What is First Aid?

  • First Aid are assessments and interventions that can be performed by a bystander with minimal or no equipment.

Continuum of Care and Roles of Public Safety Agencies

  • EMS is part of the whole continuum of care.
  • EMT-Bs should understand the role of each agency.
  • Quality of care depends on training.

EMS System Components and Roles

  • Ambulance: EMT-Bs must be familiar with the ambulance and its functions.
  • Specialty Centers: Focusing on care for certain types of patients.
  • Interfacility Transports: Transportation of patients from one care facility to another.
  • Other physician input: Local, state, and national specialists provide guidance.
  • State-specific statutes and regulations: All EMS systems are subject to state regulations.
  • Equipment: Properly maintained equipment is essential.

Medical Direction and Control; Quality Control

  • Medical Direction and Control: Each EMS system must have a medical director; Medical control may take place online or offline.
  • Quality Control and Improvement: Process used to ensure patient care meets standards.

Components of the EMS

  • Access System: Easy access in an emergency is essential.
  • Administration and Policy: Policies and procedures are essential.

Levels of EMS Training

  • Lay Rescuer
  • First Responder
  • EMT-Basic
  • EMT-Intermediate
  • EMT-Paramedic

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Overview

  • EMS is a network of services linked for the purpose of providing care and transport to victims of sudden illness (NOI) or injury (MOI).
  • NOI = Nature of Illness; MOI = Mechanism of Injury.

Introduction to Basic Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

  • Basic overview of EMS concepts and roles ( introductive content).

Lesson Goal

  • This Lesson is intended to:
    • provide participants with the basic knowledge and skills needed for rendering initial care on scene to sick or injured persons;
    • stabilize their condition and prepare them for transport to a medical facility;
    • develop a responsible first responder.

Basic Emergency Medical Services First Responder Care in Transit Module

  • Module components include Detection, On Scene Care, Response, and Reporting.
  • Subject Matter Expert: ROY ENCLONAR CALINGACION LPT, MPA (Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Response).