Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services Systems: a Classification to Assist in Determination of Indicators

Overview

Journal Emerg Med J

Specialty Emergency Medicine

Date 2003 Mar 19

PMID 12642542

Citations 11

Authors

C MacFarlane

C A Benn

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Emergency medical services (EMS) systems, and prehospital care are difficult to evaluate. Accordingly, the true efficacy and value of such systems are difficult to determine. The multitude of variations and combinations of involved factors makes standardisation and comparison difficult, and universal indicators are hard to develop. Various attempts have been made to determine valid indicators of effectiveness, but there has been little success. Prehospital care has been seen by some as a single entity. As a result, experience from well resourced first world trauma centres has been taken, by many, to be applicable to all prehospital situations. This article attempts to assist in the development of valid EMS indicators of performance and effectiveness by categorising prehospital scenarios into a classification reflecting the reality of their conditions of practice.

Citing Articles

Key performance indicators in pre-hospital response to disasters and mass casualty incidents: a scoping review.

Markou-Pappas N, Lamine H, Ragazzoni L, Caviglia M Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2024; 50(5):2029-2037.

PMID: 38990353 PMC: 11599410. DOI: 10.1007/s00068-024-02533-8.

Development of quality indicators to measure pre-hospital emergency medical services for road traffic injury.

Azami-Aghdash S, Moosavi A, Gharaee H, Sadeghi G, Mousavi Isfahani H, Ghasemi Dastgerdi A BMC Health Serv Res. 2021; 21(1):235.

PMID: 33726709 PMC: 7970773. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06238-1.

Evolution of emergency medical services in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Abuzeyad F, Al Qasim G, Alqasem L, Al Farras M Int J Emerg Med. 2020; 13(1):20.

PMID: 32345212 PMC: 7189519. DOI: 10.1186/s12245-020-00280-2.

Operational demands on pre-hospital emergency care for burn injuries in a middle-income setting: a study in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Allgaier R, Laflamme L, Wallis L Int J Emerg Med. 2017; 10(1):2.

PMID: 28124200 PMC: 5267612. DOI: 10.1186/s12245-017-0128-9.

A national research agenda for pre-hospital emergency medical services in the Netherlands: a Delphi-study.

van de Glind I, Berben S, Zeegers F, Poppen H, Hoogeveen M, Bolt I Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2016; 24:2.

PMID: 26746873 PMC: 4706720. DOI: 10.1186/s13049-015-0195-y.

References

Chapleau W . PHTLS (Prehospital Trauma Life Support) overseas. Emerg Med Serv. 2001; 30(5):140-3. View

Meislin H, Conn J, Conroy C, Tibbitts M . Emergency medical service agency definitions of response intervals. Ann Emerg Med. 1999; 34(4 Pt 1):453-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0196-0644(99)80046-8. View

Razzak J, Cone D, Rehmani R . Emergency medical services and cultural determinants of an emergency in Karachi, Pakistan. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2001; 5(3):312-6. DOI: 10.1080/10903120190939896. View

Ramalanjaona G . Profile of the prehospital system in Madagascar. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2001; 5(3):317-21. DOI: 10.1080/10903120190939913. View

Lamfers E, Hooghoudt T, Uppelschoten A, Stolwijk P, Verheugt F . Effect of prehospital thrombolysis on aborting acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol. 1999; 84(8):928-30, A6-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9149(99)00468-3. View

Moore L . Measuring quality and effectiveness of prehospital EMS. Prehosp Emerg Care. 1999; 3(4):325-31. DOI: 10.1080/10903129908958963. View

Eckstein M, Chan L, Schneir A, Palmer R . Effect of prehospital advanced life support on outcomes of major trauma patients. J Trauma. 2000; 48(4):643-8. DOI: 10.1097/00005373-200004000-00010. View

Liberman M, Mulder D, Sampalis J . Advanced or basic life support for trauma: meta-analysis and critical review of the literature. J Trauma. 2000; 49(4):584-99. DOI: 10.1097/00005373-200010000-00003. View

Wright S, Stack L, McMurray B, Bolyukh S . Emergency medicine in Ukraine: challenges in the post-Soviet era. Am J Emerg Med. 2000; 18(7):828-32. DOI: 10.1053/ajem.2000.18110. View

10.

Murray J, Demetriades D, Berne T, Stratton S, Cryer H, Bongard F . Prehospital intubation in patients with severe head injury. J Trauma. 2000; 49(6):1065-70. DOI: 10.1097/00005373-200012000-00015. View

11.

Wallentin L . Reducing time to treatment in acute myocardial infarction. Eur J Emerg Med. 2001; 7(3):217-27. DOI: 10.1097/00063110-200009000-00010. View

12.

Asaeda G, Cherson A, Giordano L, Kusick M . Utilization of air medical transport in a large urban environment: a retrospective analysis. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2001; 5(1):36-9. DOI: 10.1080/10903120190940308. View

13.

Sobo E, Andriese S, Stroup C, Morgan D, Kurtin P . Developing indicators for emergency medical services (EMS) system evaluation and quality improvement: a statewide demonstration and planning project. Jt Comm J Qual Improv. 2001; 27(3):138-54. DOI: 10.1016/s1070-3241(01)27013-8. View

14.

Di Bartolomeo S, Sanson G, Nardi G, Scian F, Michelutto V, Lattuada L . Effects of 2 patterns of prehospital care on the outcome of patients with severe head injury. Arch Surg. 2001; 136(11):1293-300. DOI: 10.1001/archsurg.136.11.1293. View

15.

Vilke G, Steen P, Smith A, Chan T . Out-of-hospital pediatric intubation by paramedics: the San Diego experience. J Emerg Med. 2002; 22(1):71-4. DOI: 10.1016/s0736-4679(01)00439-5. View

16.

Modaghegh M, Roudsari B, Sajadehchi A . Prehospital trauma care in Tehran: potential areas for improvement. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2002; 6(2):218-23. DOI: 10.1080/10903120290938580. View

17.

Pitt K . Prehospital selection of patients for thrombolysis by paramedics. Emerg Med J. 2002; 19(3):260-3. PMC: 1725850. DOI: 10.1136/emj.19.3.260. View

18.

Morrow D, Antman E, Sayah A, Schuhwerk K, Giugliano R, deLemos J . Evaluation of the time saved by prehospital initiation of reteplase for ST-elevation myocardial infarction: results of The Early Retavase-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (ER-TIMI) 19 trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002; 40(1):71-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0735-1097(02)01936-8. View

19.

Jacobs L, Sinclair A, Beiser A, DAgostino R . Prehospital advanced life support: benefits in trauma. J Trauma. 1984; 24(1):8-13. DOI: 10.1097/00005373-198401000-00002. View

20.

Potter D, Goldstein G, Fung S, Selig M . A controlled trial of prehospital advanced life support in trauma. Ann Emerg Med. 1988; 17(6):582-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0196-0644(88)80397-4. View