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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Emergency medical services: an overview

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6845359

The organization and delivery of emergency care are reviewed in a book based on the judgments of 28 national leaders in various fields. It is noted that acute illness has become a major health problem due to the rapid growth of the United States and the increased demands of consumers for improved medical care. Critical needs in the field of emergency care are identified as communications, prompt and proper rescue handling, rapid and careful transportation of victims, and adequate emergency care at hospitals. The long-term solution to the problem of injury is viewed as prevention through efforts made by educators, industrialists, engineers, public health officials, and private citizens. The statement is made that accidents are exceeded only by heart disease, neoplasms, and cerebral vascular disease as a major cause of death in the United States. The dimensions of the accident problem are explored. Other topics addressed are: motor vehicle trauma and emergency medical services; the provision of emergency care to cardiac patients; medicolegal implications of emergency care; and field treatment and transport of emergency victims. The importance of telecommunications, emergency medical technician training, and public education is stressed. Hospital education and training for emergency department personnel are detailed for physicians and nurses. Functional and design aspects of hospital emergency departments are described, and the role of community planning in the provision of emergency health services is considered. A checklist for airport disaster planning and a Michigan law regarding emergency medical services are appended.

Research Organization:
Medical Coll. of Georgia, Augusta (USA). Dept. of Surgery
OSTI ID:
6845359
Report Number(s):
HRP-0015210
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English