Current Issues in EMS - Essay Example

Current issues in EMS Current issues in EMS Introduction Emergency health service (EMS) refers to a group of providers in the medical community dedicated to the well-being of the patients. The services are rational and timely to medical emergencies regardless of their cause. In this case, the emergency health services sector is a vital department in any government as the emergency situation does arise unexpectedly. This requires quick medical attention. In modern society, health is given priority to cater for the well-being of the people. According to the National Academy of Sciences, EMS services dates back to times of war in ancient Romans and Greek era. The chariots were used to remove injured soldiers from the battle field. Nowadays, ambulances and helicopters are used in emergency medical response. EMS systems are organized to provide quick and reliable services to the society in times of emergency. According to Ethical challenges in Emergency Medical Services Journal, emergency response network is assuming a fundamental ethical obligation. It has the duty to respond to emergencies regardless of the patients income or social position. Furthermore, care is not limited to any specific group or class of people. This paper outlines the organization of EMS, its challenges, and operation designs of meeting the needs of the people in times of emergencies. It also outlines the essence of emergency medical services ambulances in transporting casualties of emergencies. Operations of the organization EMS is a public health integrated organization that responds to any emergency in the society. Most of its services are nonprofit making and involve voluntary work. The services require an organized structure of management in meeting the objectives of EMS in the society. At all times, the system operates independently as a separate entity of the hospital or organization. That is why they have their own staff and vehicles to enhance work delivery in case of emergencies. In public entities, EMS hires the services of government employees in serving the society at large. The national minimum staff requirements of such organization vary from one country to the other (Committee on the Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System, 2007, p. 16). According to research on EMS, there are three groups of employees in the system that meets the needs of the people. These groups involve patient transport ambulance, basic life support ambulance and advanced life support ambulance. The groups vary in delegating their work to the people. In this case, the patient transport ambulance involves a driver and his assistant to meet the transportation needs to and from the emergency scene. Both individuals require professional certificates in responding to technical emergencies. At the same time, basic life support ambulances provide transport services to patients that do not require extra support and monitoring. Also, advanced life support ambulance involves lifesaving skills of providing pre hospital care in the ambulance as the victim is transported to the nearest health facility. Challenges facing EMS organization Over the years, EMS has faced frequent challenges in reaching out to the society. Given that it is a public entity, it has setbacks that keep the organization in crisis. This ranges from poor leadership, operations, systems, technology among many other factors. However, the major concern of leadership in EMS today lies in the systems. They lack well defined criteria in career ladder for their personnel. Also, lack of recognized educational background for managers is also a considerable challenge in EMS. In addition, there is lack of proper succession plans in EMS organizations. Remedies of the organization There are alternatives and solutions that can rectify all the setbacks facing EMS organization across the globe. The EMS officers should have defined roles for effective management and delivery to the society. This involves offering the staff enough training in diverse sources such as seminars and training. At the same time, promotions should be well monitored and be based on educational fields that improve the competence of the doctors, drivers and support at large. The national standards should be developed to evaluate EMS officers since the success of the organization depends on the system of governance (Committee on the Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System, 2007, p. 90). EMS vehicle design for occupant safety should be modernized to match the current systems of technology. Following engineering studies in performances of fleet of ambulances, many failures can be attributed to low crashworthiness of the fleet. In this case, use of lap belts for all the seated occupants can be of great benefit. The patient should be given an over shoulder harnesses on the stretcher at an upright or at an angle of 45 degrees. This will secure the patients and occupants of an ambulance against accidents. The study also demonstrates the need to identify any hazardous or hostile interior design. All the head strike’ zones in the automotive should have absorbing padding. This reduces the chances of injury occurrence if the ambulance gets an accident. Also, use of high visibility markings optimizes the safety of patients being lifted and other occupants of the ambulance at the scene of emergency as well as during transportation. Using intelligent transportation system can be a better alternative when using ambulances. In the transportation and automotive industry, new technologies enhance safety and reduce the chances of collision. This technology is applicable in passenger vehicles, but its finding their way into ambulances. In US, after market electronic feedback technology with real-time driver monitoring and auditory feedback is the best for ambulances. They have shown improvement of driving behavior and enhancements in safety performance in a number of studies. These devices provide real time and immediate feedback to the driver. This drivers-performance-data recording optimizes safety in EMS ground transport environment. These devices reduce the number of speed violations and severity of vehicle collision events by EMS personnel (Committee on the Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System, 2007, p. 175). The devices also minimize costs in maintaining and repairing the ambulances. For over 6 months in vehicle maintenance savings, the device has shown up to 90% reduction in ambulance crashes. In the current market, trials are underway to integrate these technologies with GIS systems. However, these devices are intrusive and require a substantial administrative burden for monitoring feedbacks. Currently, there are ITS technologies available that warns the driver in case of a potential hazard while on the road. The notifications about the hazards are either on the dash board or on the wind screen. Fleet management and highway safety is also another alternative that guarantees effectiveness in the operations. Personnel and patient safety awareness and practice are models applied in air medical environment of structured safety practice and policy. Ground EMS providers are responsible cohort and are accustomed to performance. In reference to delivery of medical care, they expect close supervision and scrutiny in their operations (Committee on the Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System, 2007, p, 140). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that emergency medical services are critical components of the nation’s emergency and trauma care system. Many EMS personnel ensure that they meet the needs of the victims affected by a calamity in the shortest time possible. Their effectiveness in extraordinary ranges of conditions and severity give them an upper hand in securing the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. The personnel who work in the organization are dedicated to their work since they suffer from mild fevers to massive head traumas to ensure that patients are transported to health centers 24 hours a day. This implies that they have an effective working system through 9-1-1 emergency calls for victims to reach out to their services at all times. Also, they dispatch their personnel to the scenes of illness and trauma on time for partial treatment and administration of first aid before being airlifted to hospitals. The speed and quality of the emergency system are critical in a patient’s ultimate outcome and has saved millions of lives across the globe. However, the challenges outlined can be addressed by the ministry of health to facilitate service delivery in their operations. That is why they work tirelessly to ensure that the emergency medical services are up to date with the latest technology. Reference Committee on the Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System. (2007). Emergency medical services: A t the crossroads. Washington: National academic press. Read More