Quality assurance in emergency medical service systems.

Title

Quality assurance in emergency medical service systems.

Creator

Polsky S S; Weigand J V

Publisher

Emergency medicine clinics of North America

Date

1990
1990-02

Description

EMS quality assurance programs can help guarantee that the provision of prehospital care is medically accountable. The establishment and management of such a program, although time consuming, are critically important. It is essential that the medical director or a designee responsible for quality assurance activities be allotted the necessary time to carry them out properly. Incident reports, critique sessions, audits, education (training) sessions, observation or debriefing in the emergency department, as well as on-line medical control all play a role in inputting data into the system. The quality assurance program forms a continuous action loop starting and ending with protocols and education. Documentation of variance or compliance with protocols forms the basis for analysis of the quality of care delivered. Any intervention must be based on carefully documented information and should include praise for good work, as well as education when needed, and restriction of function when necessary.

Subject

Retrospective Studies; United States; Emergency Medical Services/*standards; Medical Audit; Risk Management; Health Care; *Quality Assurance

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Pages

75–84

Issue

1

Volume

8

Citation

Polsky S S; Weigand J V, “Quality assurance in emergency medical service systems.,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed March 28, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/5578.