The Importance of Emergency Medical Services for Communities - Essay Example

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR COMMUNITIES By Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Professor Date Introduction An emergency medical service (EMS) system is a system, which is well arranged and with coordinated resources. Its major function is to respond to various medical emergencies in a timely manner without considering the causes of the situation, the ability of the patient to pay and any other factor that may delay the rescue process. Therefore, the main aim of emergency medical services is to limit emotional, psychological, and physical injury as much as possible (Cooper 2004). In many countries, emergency medical services are referred to as first aid or ambulance services. However, there is more to the emergency medical services than what is observed by the locals. Various stages are involved in emergency response processes: the initial stage is detection and notification of an emergency. This is followed by arrival at the scene of the event and on scene activities. According to Barkley (1978), transportation of the patient takes place after which one is received in a medical facility where critical care is offered. A follow up activity completes the process. The activities are aimed at saving lives and minimizing further injury and pain as much as possible. Therefore, the importance of emergency medical services in every community cannot be disregarded and that is why many nations strive to provide them to the citizens. Therefore, this is a comparison of EMS in USA and India. Role of Emergency Medical Services for Communities According to Will and Jones (2006), the main objective of EMS is to offer treatment and medical care urgently to those in need. This involves treating the present condition or organizing for timely intervention in case of any emergency state. It also entails first aid activities aimed at improving the patient’s status as the emergency team organizes for transfer to the nearest medical facility. Therefore, this kind of medical attention is offered at the scene of the emergency and during transportation.in the past, emergency medical services encompassed transportation of the patients by either ambulance vehicles or airplane without any medical service during transport. However, many nations around the globe have managed to improve emergency systems such that patients receive medical care on the scene of an emergency and during transportation to the time they are handed over to a particular medical facility. Therefore, emergency medical services encompass transportation services and medical treatment as well as care given to patients involved in an emergency condition (Schmidt et. al. 1996). Second, emergency medical services perform the role transferring a patient in critical condition from one point to another (Barkley 1978). This is meant to facilitate high-level medical care facility to an institution with the specialized expertise as per the needs of the patient. The service also facilitates movement of a patient from an expert facility to a local hospital or home care facility when they have fully regained their health or they no longer need the specialized facility services. In such cases, the public does not call upon the emergency medical service team to perform that role, but professionals in the facility do it, that is referring the patient to another. Moreover, specialized facilities may include services such as pediatric care, neonatal care, and regional burn centers (Cooper 2004). On the other hand, emergency medical service units may offer technical support in emergencies such as rescue operations. These include extrication, rescue from water, fire and other situations that may require expert skills. Trained and qualified emergency service teams offer these services throughout the world because special expertise is needed in the emergencies mentioned. For instance, an emergency medical service officer must be an expert in swimming in order to rescue somebody from a water body. Therefore, each personnel within the emergency medical service department should be endowed with basic life skills, first aid and advanced life support personnel such as nurses, paramedics and a physician where necessary (Schmidt et. al. 1996). Differences between US and India in Emergency Medical Services The US has diverse approaches in providing EMS services whereas they are limited in India. The US government has established numerous methods for transmitting emergency medical services to its citizens (Kuehl 2002). In fact, some communities have self-dispatching emergency medical services. In the US, various dispatch centers exist, emergency medical services dispatch centers, the police and fire departments, which are central in transmitting services throughout the country. In other places, private companies, hospitals, volunteers and statutory bodies take an active part in emergency medical service provision. According to Garg (2012), India lacks such an extensive emergency medical system to dispatch services in the country. Every citizen is looking up to the central government to manage every aspect of emergency medical service provision and thus rendering it inefficient and the services inaccessible. Second, there are significant differences in EMS services offered by US states and India. The US has numerous models in place that facilitate delivery of EMS services. Although most services are funded publicly, the services are operated differently and efficiently. The community is actively involved in EMS system operation as well as private companies. The US employs vehicles and airplanes in operating emergency systems while India relies on vehicles for transport (Garg 2012). Whereas India continues to use 'low-tech' approaches to dispatch emergency services, the US enjoys access to numerous technological developments in many areas. Other aspects such as infrastructure and professionalism differ between India and the US. For instance, the high level technologies used in US include automatic vehicle location, global positioning strategy, electronic mapping and use of software that support decision (Jon 2005). They also use technological surveillance systems to locate emergency situations in places considered to be inaccessible such as water bodies, deserts and search areas. Moreover, the US has well-developed infrastructure, such as transport and communication systems, availability of resources such as vehicles and airplanes. Better still, the medical service providers are highly trained and hence have the capacity to offer medical guidance, advice, and assistance at the scene of emergency events. Most are certified and hence dispatches emergency medical services efficiently. On the other hand, the emergency service infrastructure in India is of poor quality and is inadequate just as other resources such as vehicles and planes (Prasanthi 2005). This makes prompt response to emergencies difficult and poor care and management of critical patients. Moreover, India lacks emergency specialist training system in the postgraduate levels and hence most facilities lack a centralized emergency system, management and implementation techniques. These differences indicate the disparities in emergency medical services provided in India and US. In the US, the EMS is offered through an organized system whereas India has a fragmented system that is not well structured from the top to the bottom. Whereas in the US emergency medical services remain every individual’s concern, the Indian population solely relies on the government to provide emergency medical services. The system encompasses financial leadership, technical assistance, and organizations that offer medical assistance (Jon 2005). India lacks a system that manages emergency medical services. There is only one emergency number in India that serves many parts whereas 28 states have different emergency numbers. Moreover, hospitals have different numbers for their ambulance services. According to Garg (2012), the fragmented system in India limits access to emergency medical services and falls short of meeting the ever-growing demand for emergency medical services. Contrastingly, many people in US states population can access emergency medical services easily due to the organized and well-coordinated system (Hawkins 2012). Similarities between US and Indiain Emergency Medical Services In India and the US, the federal government sets minimum EMS standards and regulates it at the local levels. The government advocates for the primary role of emergency medical services to be provided to every citizen in the country without payment (Prasanthi 2005). This includes first aid services and transportation to a medical facility that is closest and offering rescue services where appropriate. Therefore, the emergency medical service providers must adhere to the standards set strictly. Nevertheless, the governments offer different plans for various situations such as the density of population in an area, the nature of the topography and the nature of emergency. For instance, an emergency fire situation and a critical patient emergency event calls for different methods of intervention and the government has set regulations for that. The federal government aims at saving lives and moving people to safety in any emergency. According to Jon (2005), the federal government is not adequate in the provision of emergency medical services due to diversity and high population in the countries. Both the US and India rely on other sectors for emergency medical services other than the government. Both the private and public sectors are involved in EMS services delivery in both nations such NGOs and public hospitals. Moreover, recently hospitals are numerous non-governmental organizations have come up with their own emergency medical service systems. Some Indian organizations have come out to support the government including American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Emergency Management and Research Institute. These organizations have established systems to substitute the straining emergency system offered by the government. According to Prasanthi (2005), the states are big in size and have different topographical factors as well as limited resources. In India and the US as well, geographical factors influence delivery of emergency services. The many calls that have increased in volume require more resources so that the growing demand from the public can be satisfied. Even the US struggles to meet this demand. For instance, well-established emergency medical systems like Georgia and Augusta face challenges as they struggle to accomplish their mission due to increasing needs. Rural areas lack the necessary facilities to handle critical patients and hence need to be moved urgently to big cities for medical attention. Moreover, these people have to wait long to receive emergency medical services due to unfavorable topography as well as poor transport systems. Nevertheless, performance management systems differ in rural areas and cities and hence the qualities of emergency medical services will never be the same. Therefore, India and the US suffer from inequality in emergency medical service delivery (Suserud 2005). Similarly, emergency numbers are often congested due to numerous cases of emergency. This indicates that even if the services are delivered, they are delayed a great deal. Moreover, many emergency cases go unmentioned and hence people die due to emergencies that otherwise could have been avoided (Kuehl 2002). The occurrences indicate inefficiency in the systems and, neither the US nor India has a perfect emergency medical service system in place that is satisfactory and efficient. Both developing and developed nations should strive to achieve an efficient emergency medical service system. Conclusion According to Will and Jones (2006), an emergency medical service system is meant to provide emergency services urgently to the people in need. This encompasses medical care, transportations, and movement of patients from one medical facility to another. Therefore, the significance of an efficient emergency medical system cannot be underestimated since in many countries, the government has the obligation of providing the emergency services for majority of its population. It is also important to engage non- governmental organizations, the private sector, and volunteers in order to establish a definitive action that will ensure an effective emergency health care system is put in place. The US differs from India in various ways. The US has organized and well-structured emergency medical systems, it has established numerous methods for transmitting emergency medical services, it employs high technology in dispatching services and acknowledges professionalism in all processes pertaining emergency medical service provision. Moreover, the country’s infrastructure is favorable and thus making the process of service delivery easy. Similarities between the two countries are evident. Despite the need for efficiency in the services, both nations still rely heavily upon the central government for provision of emergency medical services. Besides, there are numerous challenges that limit the efficiency of emergency medical services such as the nature of topography, limited resources, and increasing demand. Reference List Barkley, K 1978, The ambulance: the story of emergency transportation of sick and wounded Through the centuries, New York, Exposition Press Cooper, S., Barrett, B & Black, S 2004, ‘The emerging role of the emergency care practitioner’, Emergency Medicine Journal, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 614–8. Garg, R 2012, ‘Who killed Rambhor? The state of emergency medical services in India’, J Emerg Trauma Shock, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 49-54. Hawkins, S. C 2012, ‘Wilderness EMS Medical Director Course’, Wilderness Medicine, vol. 29 no. 1, pp. 24–25. Jon, R. K 2005, ‘Principles of Ems Systems’, American College of Emergency Physicians, pp. 149–150. Kuehl, A 2002, Prehospital systems and medical oversight, Dubugue, Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Pub. 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