What's Up in EMS?
Hey everybody! Adam here, and this is what I’m looking at in the world of EMS these days. It’s been a minute since I posted as I’ve been taking a bit of time off. I visited Washington, DC which, at the height of the summer was maybe not such a great idea. After all, the Brits considered DC to be a hazardous duty station back in the day, and it was toasty!
Interesting article about emergency services in Germany. Also noteworthy for the use of the word “inefficient” which is pretty weird when it comes to describing anything in Germany. Turns out the Germans have some problems with their system that are eerily similar to another country, describing a system that is fractious and not well-integrated from location to location. Also, turns out EMS is expensive. Who knew?
A couple of weeks ago I posted a newsletter describing my association with Stop The Bleed classes and my mission to get Amazon to stop selling fake, life-threatening tourniquets (or at least to get people to stop buying them ‘cause the other thing is pretty unlikely). Here is a really cool video posted by North American rescue that shows how these cheap, knock-off tourniquets can fail when being placed. Good thing that dude didn't actually have a lacerated SFA…
Hot off the presses! This press release, published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services on July 31, 2024, is, in my humble opinion, monumental. Why, you might ask? Adoption of a group of standardized performance metrics will allow EMS, after decades of struggling to define itself, to quantify its value to the public at large. To move beyond the '“arrival at 911-dispatched medical emergencies within 7 minutes and 59 seconds 80% of the time” mentality that has been written into so many municipal contracts as the most important aspect of EMS performance. To no longer aspire to just “get the meat out of the street”, and to showcase, using objective data, how EMS performance and treatment contribute to positive patient outcomes.
Umm, this thing is kinda cool? Maybe?
I’m not a fan of the Cyber Truck in general. I really do think they look like discarded ride vehicles from a 1994 theme park. Buuuut, this is an EMS Cyber Truck, so I’m on board. Here’s the story.
Thanks again for reading, stay safe, and have a great day!
