News: Doctors Develop Life-Saving, Low-Cost Ventilators for Emergency, Rural and Military Use

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:36:30 -0800

Science Daily article reports that a group of UK anesthetists have designed and tested three prototype low-cost ventilators that could provide vital support during major healthcare emergencies involving large numbers of patients or casualties and could also be used for a wide range of applications, such as rural healthcare and armed conflicts.

Publication: Guidelines for Field Triage of Injured Patients: Recommendations of the National Expert Panel on Field Triage

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:16:37 -0700

Describes the process and rationale used by the National Expert Panel on Field Triage to revise the "Decision Scheme" that guides EMS providers through four decision steps (physiologic, anatomic, mechanism of injury, and special considerations) to determine the most appropriate destination facility within the local trauma care system across the United States.which serves as the basis for triage protocols for state and local EMS systems across the United States -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Publication: Contributing Factors and Issues Associated With Rural Ambulance Crashes: Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:41:43 -0700

Identified published literature that describes the frequency, epidemiology, etiology, typology, and cost of ambulance crashes generally and rural ambulance crashes specifically.

Tool/Web Site: Access to Trauma Care

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:02:09 -0700

An interactive tool that allows the user to find the trauma care centers in their region and across the United States. -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Publication: Emergency Departments Under Growing Pressures

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:17:35 -0700

Reports on a set of interviews with emergency department heads and others practicing in emergency departments. -- Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured

Tool/Web Site: WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:41:00 -0700

An interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data. -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Tool/Web Site: The Community Healthcare and Emergency Cooperative (CHEC)

Thu, 21 May 2009 14:30:34 -0700

Formed in July 2007 by leaders in Minnesota, Nebraska, Australia, and Canada to address critical health care shortages in rural and remote areas. Offers a standardized training curriculum that can be modified and customized for each community, province, and nation.

Tool/Web Site: Online Pandemic Influenza Training for EMTs and Paramedics

Thu, 14 May 2009 14:53:27 -0700

Designed to teach emergency responders and other health care professionals about pandemic influenza in a two-part course. Defines the causes, symptoms, and treatment principles associated with pandemic influenza. Addresses planning and preparation principles for emergency response providers. Accessible free by logging on to rapidCE.com, and awards a CE Certificate upon completion.

Publication: Farm Rescue and EMS: A State by State Directory

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:27:33 -0800

A directory of contacts by state that specialize in farm rescue and response training. -- Office of Rural Health Policy

Publication: Emergency Medical Services in Rural Illinois

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:58:22 -0800

Reports on ten community forums conducted in Illinois (between January and September 2004) which were designed to document concerns about Emergency Medical Services (EMS) availability in rural areas of the state and also to come up with possible solutions. Recommendations are provided for each of five key issues. -- Illinois Rural Health Association

Publication: Rural Ambulance Service Budget Model

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:52:46 -0700

Provides an overview and instructions for using the Rural Ambulance Service Budget Model, a budgeting and financial management tool for rural ambulance services and rescue squads. -- Office of Rural Health Policy

Publication: EMS Workforce for the 21st Century: A National Assessment

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:41:05 -0700

Results of research that addresses workforce planning such as having adequate EMS workforce; attracting and retaining EMS workers; maintaining EMS workforce resources across all populations and geo-graphic areas; future demand; and obtaining information. -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Emergency Medical Services Division

Publication: Rural-Urban Differences in Characteristics of Local EMS Agencies (Findings Brief)

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:26:09 -0700

Describes the characteristics of local rural EMS agencies and important ways that they differ from the characteristics of agencies located in urban areas. -- North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)

Publication: Challenges for Rural Emergency Medical Services: Medical Oversight (Findings Brief)

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:55:42 -0700

Examines the challenges faced by local rural EMS agencies in obtaining a medical director and ensuring medical oversight for EMS personnel. -- North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)

Publication: Issues in Staffing Emergency Medical Services: A National Survey of Local Rural and Urban EMS Directors

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:29:06 -0700

Explores rural-urban differences in medical oversight and the recruitment and retention ofemergency medical technicians and paramedics as reported by a survey of 1,425 local EMS directors. -- North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)

Organization: Angel Flight West

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:25:40 -0700

Provides free non-emergency air transportation to medical treatment for people who cannot afford public transportation, or who cannot tolerate it for health reasons. Available only in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. For longer flights or flights originating in other regions, go to the Angel Flight America National Patient Travel Center Web Site.

Tool/Web Site: EMS.gov

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:17:06 -0800

Contains training resources, news, functions as a portal to other EMS Web sites and resources, and contains background and updates on Federal initiatives and programs. -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Emergency Medical Services Division

Publication: Characteristics of Frequent Emergency Department Users

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:22:18 -0800

Examines the demographic and health characteristics of people who frequently use hospital Emergency Departments (ED) and how the risk of being a High ED User varies based on these characteristics. -- Kaiser Family Foundation

Publication: Trauma Systems Save Rural Lives

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:50:52 -0800

Discusses organized trauma care systems, which are critical to reducing mortality and morbidity in rural areas. Highlights include how access to trauma care varies by state, how rural hospitals play a role in trauma care, and a future goal of having coordinated care nationwide. -- Rural Assistance Center

Organization: Western EMS Network

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:23:56 -0800

Provides rural and frontier EMS agencies in MT, WY, ID, WA, AK, OR, NV, UT, AZ, NM and CA a network which includes purchasing equipment together on national contracts. A companion cooperative, the Western EMS Network provides similar purchasing services to the western states not served by NCEMSC.

Publication: Future of Emergency Care: Dissemination Workshop Series

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:11:53 -0800

Summarizes the proceedings of three one-day regional dissemination workshops, conducted in Salt Lake City, UT; Chicago, IL; and New Orleans, LA. Topics include pediatric emergency care and care in rural areas; workforce issues and hospital efficiency; and EMS issues and disaster preparedness. -- Institute of Medicine

Publication: Improved EMS Delivery can Reduce Fatalities on Rural Roads

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:47:33 -0700

One of a series of guides to help states improve rural highway safety. -- National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Publication: Equipment for Ambulances

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:25:06 -0700

Provides a list of standardized equipment for ambulances to optimize prehospital delivery of care and includes resources needed for appropriate terrorism preparedness. -- American College of Emergency Physicians

Publication: Rural Emergency Department Staffing: Potential Implications for the Quality of Emergency Care Provided in Rural Areas

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:59:50 -0700

Reports results of a study of rural emergency department staffing and discusses potentialimplications of staffing for the quality of emergency care provided in rural areas. -- Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center

Publication: Around the Country: EMS Co-op Helps Rural Providers

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:39:26 -0700

Highlights the North Central EMS Cooperative (NCEMSC), a Minnesota-based, EMS co-op that provides a mechanism to achieve cost reductions for members. -- Rural Assistance Center

Publication: Rural Ambulance Crashes Literature Review

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:56:46 -0700

Reviews published research pertaining to ambulance crashes with a special emphasis on the rural environment. Provides an overview of the magnitude of the risk that rural ambulance operators face every time they respond to an illness or injury. Includes citations to the literature, with annotations. -- Office of Rural Health Policy

Publication: Rural EMS Managers Awareness Program

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:41:17 -0700

Provides new emergency medical services agency managers with an orientation to the broad scope of an EMS system. Includes background information and covers 14 components of the EMS system. -- Office of Rural Health Policy

Publication: Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural & Frontier EMS in the U.S. Health System

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:11:49 -0700

Compares the findings of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Emergency Care reports with previous work on Rural Health and with the Rural and Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future and HRSA Model Trauma System Planning and Evaluation document. Identifies similarities and overlaps of the recommendations and approaches. -- Health Resources and Services Administration

Organization: National EMS Information System Technical Assistance Center

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:43:37 -0700

Offers technical assistance on the implementation and tracking of National EMS Data.

Publication: Community-Based Needs Assessment: Assisting Communities in Building a Stronger EMS System

Tue, 29 May 2007 15:36:11 -0700

Outlines a community planning process for rural EMS systems that that engages local stakeholders to facilitate appropriate planning and decision making at the local level. -- Office of Rural Health Policy