EMS Considerations for "Toward Zero Deaths: A National Strategy on Highway Safety"
Injury resulting from motor vehicle collisions is the leading cause of death for U.S. citizens age 1 through 34. Only a small percentage of all fatal crash victims die at the scene; those who die later are potentially preventable. Until "zero crashes" is a reality on the nation's roadways, effective emergency medical services and trauma care remain the only mechanism to approach "zero deaths."
"Guidelines for Field Triage of Injured Patients,"
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This report helps pre-hospital care providers recognize those injured patients who are most likely to benefit from specialized trauma center resources.
"EMS Makes a Difference: Improved clinical outcomes and downstream healthcare savings,"
EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC)
This paper summarizes the substantial evidence documenting improved patient outcomes resulting from pre-hospital interventions and EMS systems. It further shows that emergency medical services play an important role within the healthcare system and documents the definitive relationship between EMS-related improvements in patient outcomes and financial savings to the healthcare system. It also emphasizes the importance of meaningful linkage of EMS data to the other various information systems that contain highway safety data.
NHTSA Statewide EMS Technical Assessment Program
There is substantial variation among emergency and trauma care systems across the country. These systems differ by the level of development of trauma systems, the effectiveness of state EMS offices and regional EMS councils, and the degree of coordination between fire, EMS, hospitals, trauma centers, and emergency management. EMS has an opportunity to move toward a more integrated and accountable system through fundamental systemic changes. That is the premise of the Model State Emergency Medical Services System Project.
2011 National EMS Assessment
Sponsored by The Federal Interagency Committee for Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS), and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this report provides the first-ever comprehensive description of Emergency Medical Services, EMS emergency preparedness, and 911 systems at state and national levels using existing data sources.
NHTSA Model State EMS
Produced by the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) with support from the Office of Emergency Medical Services, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), this document accounts for the differences between the structures of EMS systems nationwide and recommends a model for an EMS agency's statutory responsibilities as well as its organizational structure.