Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2011
Fuel use in a large, dynamically deployed emergency medical services system.
Emergency medical services (EMS) systems are a central component of the healthcare system, particularly for older patients. As currently configured, EMS transport is fundamentally petroleum dependent. Petroleum scarcity is an emerging public health concern, particularly for patient transport. Little is known regarding EMS fuel use, potential impacts of scarcity on operations, or strategies to minimize these impacts. ⋯ In this EMS system, operations are fundamentally dependent on petroleum. Mileage estimates can serve as a baseline to evaluate interventions for reducing petroleum dependence and in contingency planning. As cost pressures increase and these interventions become more common, systematic evaluations will be important.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Oct 2011
Transportation-related injuries and fatalities among emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
This is the first study using national data to evaluate transportation risks among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics (to be referred to hereafter as "EMTs") in the United States. ⋯ The US national EMS system is built on the premise of having an unlimited supply of 20 year olds interested in, and dedicated to, the provision of EMS care. Not only do we not have an unlimited supply of 20 year olds, we may be rapidly losing our current workforce through clearly preventable risks such as transportation incidents.Emergency medical services workers face a rate of occupational injury that is much higher than the national average and transportation-related events are a significant component of that risk. Resources must be devoted to further research, and to the development and evaluation of interventions designed to mitigate these transportation-related hazards.