Managing Clinical Care & Transport

Overview

EMS response times and times from the scene to definitive care is almost always longer in rural areas. On average, response times can be two or three times as long as in urban or suburban areas. This is due to sparse populations, long distances, poor roads, severe climate conditions, inadequate public education, and insufficient infrastructure resources to support advanced emergency call systems. In fact, the further one is from and emergency medical facility the more one needs a higher level of local EMS capacity and the less likely that that EMS capability will be available. In particular, barriers exist to the provision of advanced life support, especially paramedic in rural areas. This section of the toolkit will focus on how to develop quality pre-hospital clinical care using transport protocols, integration of health services, and medical direction reflecting level of care needed in communities.

Authority

Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA)
Administration

Operators

Medical Direction
Guidelines
Triage & Transfer Protocols

Health System Integration

Diversion Policies
Agency & Inter-Facility Collaboration
Communication & Coordination

Transportation

Referral & Transfer Protocols
Formal Patient Transfer Agreements
Licensure & Inspection
Evaluation