Paramedic Care

Research and EMS (Framework For Paramedic Practice) Part 2

Meta-Analysis In some cases it is difficult to obtain a large population of study subjects, or the event being studied is relatively rare. To overcome the problem of reduced statistical power, a meta-analysis may be performed. In a meta-analysis, the results of several similar small studies are combined and a statistical hypothesis test is applied. […]

Ethics and the Paramedic (Ethics and Law in EMS) Part 1

KEY CONCEPTS: Upon completion of this topic, it is expected that the reader will understand these following concepts: • Conduct and responsibility derived from guiding principles as well as cultural and religious beliefs • Duty-based ethics founded on principles, not consequences • Bioethics and their application to day-to-day decision making • The idea of what […]

Ethics and the Paramedic (Ethics and Law in EMS) Part 2

Justice Justice, the application of the concept of fairness, implies impartiality in the administration of rewards. In the case of medicine, justice might be involved in the distribution of a rare medicine or allocating limited resources on the scene of a multiple casualty incident (MCI). In some of these instances, a random selection criterion is […]

The Law and Paramedics (Ethics and Law in EMS) Part 1

KEY CONCEPTS: Upon completion of this topic, it is expected that the reader will understand these following concepts: • The origins of case law • Civil and tort laws and the elements of a lawsuit • The complexity of patient consent (both legal and ethical concerns) • Understanding of patient rights • Principles of advanced […]

The Law and Paramedics (Ethics and Law in EMS) Part 2

Pretrial Discovery In an effort to determine the truth in a matter, the defendant’s attorney (the Paramedic’s lawyer) and the plaintiff’s attorney (the patient’s lawyer) will undertake specific prescribed legal proceedings. One action may be to issue a subpoena, which is a legal command or direction issued by the court to appear at a certain […]

The Law and Paramedics (Ethics and Law in EMS) Part 3

Implied Consent When a patient is unconscious and unable to speak for himself, then Paramedics can treat the patient under the doctrine of implied consent. Under implied consent, it is assumed that the patient would consent if awake and capable of consenting. Implied consent is assumed even if the patient was refusing care moments before […]

The Law and Paramedics (Ethics and Law in EMS) Part 4

Advanced Directives The development of new life-saving technologies is accompanied by questions about the quality of life in terminal illness and prolongation of suffering.25 These advances have coincidentally occurred at a time when patient autonomy is increasingly being asserted. Together, the two trends have combined to create a conflict between paternalistic physicians who have always […]

Public Health and the Paramedic (EMS and Public Health) Part 1

KEY CONCEPTS: Upon completion of this topic, it is expected that the reader will understand these following concepts: • Improvement of a community’s health status—the broad mission of public health • The international issues relating to public health • EMS as a "safety net" in public health • EMS roles in healthcare access and disaster […]

Public Health and the Paramedic (EMS and Public Health) Part 2

The American Public Health Movement In the early 1800s American cities were being ravaged by epidemics of smallpox, yellow fever, and cholera. Quarantines and in-house confinement were the only effective means of preventing the spread of these diseases at the time. As a result, industry suffered from massive sick calls, leading to declines in productivity.10-12 […]

Illness and Injury Prevention (EMS and Public Health) Part 1

KEY CONCEPTS: Upon completion of this topic, it is expected that the reader will understand these following concepts: • Impact of public health prevention programs • Decision making based on surveillance of injury • The Haddon matrix and injury countermeasures • The 4-E’s of injury prevention strategy • Evaluating an injury prevention program • Recognizing […]

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