‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

EMS system

Prof. Dr. Tarik Sarhan M.D.

 In order to understand an EMS
system, you must first understand
what makes up the system.
EMS system
In the classic sense, a system has
three major components—input,
process, and output.
 The term “emergency medical
services system,” which provides
for the arrangement of personnel,
The law facilities, and equipment for the
defines an
EMS system as
effective and coordinated delivery
follows: in an appropriate geographical
area of health care services under
emergency to provide effective
administration of the system.
  Communications
 Manpower
 Training of Personnel
 Use of Public Safety Agencies
 Transportation
 Mutual Aid Agreements
Components  Facilities
of an EMS  Accessibility of Care
System  Critical Care Units
 Transfer of Patients
 Standard Medical Record Keeping
 Independent Review and Evaluation
 Consumer Information and Education
 Consumer Participation
 Disaster Linkage
 One of the first components of the EMS
system to be activated

Through this component, all of the other

components are notified and made
available to the patient.
Communications
Communications
In addition, the various prehospital
responders are able to communicate with
one another and with medical control.

Communication is a major component of

any EMS system.
 Trained personnel respond to the
call for help. These included
firefighters,EMT-Basics, EMT-
Intermediates, nurses,
paramedics, physicians, and
other allied health personnel.

Manpower

An EMS system cannot function

effectively without adequate
personnel.
 Regardless of the title of the
personnel responding, they will
be of little or no use if they are
not trained.

Training of
Personnel
Thus all personnel who interact
with the little girl have received
some degree of training with
many being certified or licensed
at a particular provider level.
 The close cooperation of the fire
department and ambulance
Use of Public company exemplifies the use of
public safety agencies in the
Safety provision of emergency care.
Cooperation with police
Agencies agencies is also part of public
safety involvement.
 Realizing the nature of the little girl’s
injuries, the paramedic arranged for
medical evacuation via helicopter.

Transportation of patients to the proper

Transportation source of care is central to the functioning
of an EMS system.

As in this case,multiple agencies—private

ambulance, fire department, and
helicopter service worked together as a
seamless team to transport the child.
 The seamless interaction of the fire
department, private ambulance
company, and helicopter service
was accomplished through mutual
aid agreements.
Mutual Aid
Agreements
Such agreements allow agencies to
share resources across and within
jurisdictional boundaries.
 The paramedic’s transport decision
illustrates the need for prioritization and
categorization of treatment facilities.
She realized that the patient needed to
be transported to a specialty center and
not to the local emergency department.

Facilities

Thus facilities and their categorization

are another important aspect of the
EMS system.
 Upon arrival at the trauma
center, the staff, without regard
for her parent’s ability to pay for
the service, immediately cared
for the injured child.

Accessibility of
Care
The universal provision of
emergency care, regardless of
ability to pay, is part of the
accessibility of care system
component.
 After being resuscitated
and stabilized in the
trauma center’s admitting
Critical Care area, the little girl was
Units transferred to a critical
care unit, also part of this
complex system.
 Once recovered, the child was
transferred to a rehabilitation
unit and finally home to her
family with referral to a local
rehabilitation service.
Transfer of
Patients
The ability to move patients
through the system from one
service to another is an
example of the transfer of
patients component.
 Both the paramedic and the
traumatologist completed
reports on the incident.
Standard
Medical
Record
Keeping These are only two examples
of the types of standard
medical record keeping that
occurred as a result of this
incident.
 The standard medical records
will be reviewed by various
personnel and researchers as a
basis for an independent review
and evaluation of the system.
Independent
Review and
Evaluation
Additionally, the work of system
researchers, such as the
graduate student who
interviewed the family, will
provide a research basis for
system review and evaluation.
 This complex system would not have functioned
if the neighbor had not known to call 911 for
help.

Consumer Through a series of advertisements in the local

Information newspaper, citizens were introduced to the local
911 system and taught how to activate it in an
and Education emergency.

This consumer information and education

activity helped to ensure that a vital component
of the EMS system, namely the public, was
ready to function as part of the system.
 The traditional 15 components have served EMS well for
30 years.

EMS AGENDA However, as the nature of health care delivery changed,

FOR THE especially in areas related to technology and cost
FUTURE containment, the components of an EMS system needed
to be redefined.

This redefinition is presented in the EMS Agenda for the

Future.
  Integration of Health Services
 EMS Research
 Legislation and Regulation
 System Finance
 Human Resources
Attributes of  Medical Direction
 Education Systems
an EMS  Public Education
System  Prevention
 Public Access
 Communication Systems
 Clinical Care
 Information Systems
 Evaluation
Integration of
Health Historically, EMS has been viewed as a public
Services safety function.

However, the focus of EMS has changed to that of

a provider of urgent out of facility medical care.

EMS is becoming recognized as a legitimate

component of the overall health care system.
 Early EMS practice was based on conjecture and
“best guesses.”
EMS Research
Research is needed in EMS to provide a scientific
basis for how EMS are delivered and practiced.

Research provides a basis for continued

improvement of the system.
 To be effective and receive the necessary
Legislation resources to function, EMS must be recognized as
and Regulation an official and regulated activity of government.

This can only occur if the proper legislation and

resulting regulations are in place.
System A secure funding source is
Finance
necessary for the
continued development
of EMS systems.
Human
Resources This attribute is a modernization
of the original components of
manpower, training, and public
safety involvement.
 EMS now involves the practice of medicine, but
Medical early EMS systems were developed without a
Direction requirement for physician input or oversight.

The addition of this attribute recognizes the role

of the physician in patient care and in the
medical oversight of EMS operations.
Education This attribute expands on the original
Systems training component. Education is
recognized as an ongoing need of
EMS providers as well as a necessity
for the professional growth of EMS.
 The original components of consumer education and
Public involvement addressed the need to not only make the
public aware of EMS, but also to have input from citizens
Education regarding system development and operation.

This attribute focuses on the need to educate the public

about health concerns.
 The original concept of EMS was as a
reactive service to support injured and
sick people.
Prevention
Now, the trend is changing to become
proactive and to provide opportunity to
reduce injury, illness, and death through
prevention.
Public Access
The idea of universal access to all in
need of EMS has been a foundation
of EMS system development.
Communication
Systems Communication remains the foundation of all EMS
systems.

With new technology, communication has the potential

to play an even bigger part in the access, delivery, and
coordination of EMS.
 This attribute focuses on the medical care
provided by EMS. It recognizes the need for
effective, efficient, and efficacious care by
trained professionals during all aspects of
emergency care.
Clinical Care
This attribute differs from the components
of facilities and critical care units which
focused on hospital-based care.
 Now, all aspects of life are intimately
Information connected with data and information
Systems management.

This attribute addresses the importance of

data collection, management, and analysis
in EMS.
 No system or service can continue to function without some
means of measuring its effectiveness.

One of the original components was review and evaluation.

Evaluation
This component focused on the overall evaluation of an EMS
system.

The attribute evaluation not only addresses system outcome

measures, but all aspects of EMS system operation, both
structural and clinical.
Now
Show us your
skills
 Communications  Integration of Health Services
 Manpower  EMS Research
 Training of Personnel
 Legislation and Regulation
 Use of Public Safety Agencies
 System Finance
 Transportation
 Human Resources
 Mutual Aid Agreements
 Medical Direction
 Facilities
 Education Systems
 Accessibility of Care
 Public Education
 Critical Care Units
 Transfer of Patients
 Prevention
 Standard Medical Record Keeping  Public Access
 Independent Review and Evaluation  Communication Systems
 Consumer Information and Education  Clinical Care
 Consumer Participation  Information Systems
 Disaster Linkage  Evaluation
‫وءاخر دعوانا أن‬
‫الحمد هلل رب‬ ‫‪Tarik Saber Sarhan‬‬
‫العالمين وصل‬ ‫)‪(tssicu‬‬
‫اللهم على‬
‫سيدنا محمد‬ ‫‪www.tssicu.tk‬‬
‫وعلى اله‬ ‫‪tssicu@gmail.com‬‬
‫وصحبه كلما‬ ‫‪tssicu@icloud.com‬‬
‫ذكره الذاكرون‬ ‫‪tssicu@live.com‬‬
‫وغفل عن ذكره‬ ‫‪tssicu@inaya.edu.sa‬‬
‫الغافلون‬