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This Week in EMS: A Recap for Nov. 11 - 17, 2006
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reinforces the findings in this year's Institute of Medicine report that crowding in the nation's EDs has reached nearly epidemic proportions.
These findings will come as no surprise to emergency healthcare workers, but the additional study is important, as the reinforcement brings additional attention and validity to medical workers' outcry over ambulance diversions and related issues.
There was one area in which the findings of the two reports differed. The IOM report includes a statistic that 91 percent of hospitals were crowded in the opinion of the ED director. The CDC used its own analysis to determine whether EDs were crowded, and found that 50 percent were crowded, rather than 91 percent. They came to this number by counting each ED's diversions, how many patients left without being seen, and how many urgent cases had to wait longer than an hour on average.
EMS Magazine's own editorial advisory board member, James Augustine, MD, FACEP, is quoted in the article. He says, "I thought they may actually be underestimating what's going on in the market. It depends on how they surveyed the participants." He notes that at present there are no nationally accepted definitions for diversion and rerouting. "At this point those are all community definitions," he says.
Click here to read the full article: New CDC Survey Echoes IOM Report.
The top emergency news this week was the tornado that killed eight people in North Carolina. Gov. Mike Easley activated the State Emergency Response Team Thursday morning and dispatched emergency crews to the affected counties. One of the hardest hit areas was a mobile home park in Columbus County. At least 10 people were transported to area hospitals to be treated for injuries, including four children in critical condition, authorities reported.
To read more and to see photos from the scene, read the full article: North Carolina Tornado Kills Eight.
Also tragic this week, was a report of a Colorado paramedic who was called out to respond after her husband, also a paramedic, was killed in a crash on his way home from work.
Brian Gould, 42, was headed home after finishing a night shift at Poudre Valley Hospital. It is not known what caused him to veer into the lane of a southbound semitrailer, causing a head-on crash.
His wife, Jennifer Stackler-Gould, is also a paramedic with the hospital. Her ambulance station was not aware that it was Gould who had been in the accident when she was dispatched. To read the full article visit: Colorado Paramedic Responds to Crash that Killed Husband.
Other top news this week included an update on the alleged dumping of homeless patients in Los Angeles. A hospital accused of dumping a patient on downtown's Skid Row is facing the first criminal charges in the city's campaign to crack down on the practice. Kaiser Permanente is among 10 hospitals under investigation. To read more visit : Charges for L.A. Hospitals Accused of Patient Dumping.
The most read article on EMSResponder.com this week follows the final days of a nearly 200-year-old Pennsylvania fire and EMS department.
In May, Hanover Fire Co. No. 1 was given 180 days' notice to cease operations after questions were raised about internal problems including record-keeping and accounting. Their final day will be Monday, Nov. 20. The borough council has signed a new agreement with other area providers for basic life support and rescue services.
Despite this setback, however, Hanover Fire Co. No. 1 is not willing to disband and end their tradition of service. Company officials plan to store their ambulances and explore other options to provide EMS service in the region. Ousted Pennsylvania EMS Crew Counting Down
Other popular news this week:
