When someone signs up for hospice care one of the first things they are told is, “If you have a problem call our nurse, don’t call 911.” Yet, every day EMS handles calls for hospice patients. Our guest experts discuss innovative ways to improve the care we provide for folks near the end of their lives.
Omicron, the latest Variant of Concern, has become dominant in the U.S. and is gaining on the Delta Variant in Canada. This follows its sudden surge in dominance over other strains in many countries in Africa and in Europe and confirms its increased infectiousness in the U.S. This article includes an update on Omicron, mostly through the use of links to articles about its known and suspected traits, including differences from previous COVID-19 strains. Due to some of these differences,...
This document serves as an introduction, or review, for topics related to Seasonal Flu and what can be anticipated in the 2021-22 Flu Season. It includes a description of Flu, prevention, at risk groups, flu shots, incubation, symptoms, testing & diagnosis, and more. It also has links to both CDC and Canada Health resources on many of the topics. View/Download Full Document
The CDC EPIC (Emergency Partners Information Connection) Extra contains info on the new Variant of Concern – Omicron - and what can be done to protect against it. There is also information on the current recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. There are many links to more in-depth information on the topics. View/Download Full Document
CARLSBAD, CA—FirstWatch and Hello Driven announced November 30, 2021, the accreditation of their Driven Resilience Training by the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE). This will allow emergency medical services professionals to receive continuing education credits by using the app, which helps users develop resilience.
A US Citizen traveled from Nigeria to Dallas, Texas via Atlanta on two different flights over two days. After a few days here, the individual visited a Dallas Emergency Room for a rash and was confirmed to have Monkeypox. Public Health Authorities are monitoring over 200 people in 27 states, who may have been exposed during the flights or in the airports. This article describes the details of the flights and what EMS needs to know to manage anyone who may...
RQI Partners, a partnership between and service provider for the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, and FirstWatch, a technology company that uses improvement science to support public safety and healthcare organizations, launched today RQI®-T Analytics powered by FirstWatch. This new collaboration empowers emergency communication centers and 9-1-1 telecommunicators to optimize data to measure and improve T-CPR performance.
RQI Partners, a partnership between and service provider for the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, and FirstWatch, a technology company that uses improvement science to support public safety and healthcare organizations, launched RQI®-T Analytics powered by FirstWatch. This new collaboration empowers emergency communication centers and 911 telecommunicators to optimize data to measure and improve T-CPR performance.
RQI Partners, a partnership between and service provider for the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, and FirstWatch, a technology company that uses improvement science to support public safety and healthcare organizations, launched today RQI®-T Analytics powered by FirstWatch. This new collaboration empowers emergency communication centers and 9-1-1 telecommunicators to optimize data to measure and improve T-CPR performance.
This article is a quick briefing on two topics. The first topic is very important for all First Responders, especially those performing any EMS functions, to be aware of and pre-plan management. The second topic is a reminder that not only COVID-19 can travel fast but it's also not the only virus that a country had to consider during a COVID surge. Instead of a separate list of Resources & Links, a few pertinent links are listed with each of the...
EMS crews and those who dispatch them carry out two of the most high-intensity jobs around—it's only natural there will be moments of tension between the two. But small gestures, communication styles, and a sense of mutual respect go a long way toward keeping the working relationship as efficient and professional as possible. In this podcast Mike McCabe hosts Mike Taigman, Audrey Fraizer, and Jonathan Bassett, coauthors of the EMS World June 2021 cover story, "Partners in Stress."
HOT (red light and siren) responses put EMS providers and the public at significant risk. Studies have demonstrated that the time saved during this mode of vehicle operation and that reducing HOT responses enhances safety of personnel, with little to no impact on patient outcomes. Some agencies have ‘dabbled’ with responding COLD (without lights and sirens) to some calls, but perhaps none as dramatic as Niagara Region EMS in Ontario, Canada – who successfully flipped their HOT responses to a...
COVID-19 Variants, particularly those named Variants of Concern, are increasingly posing a greater risk to countries throughout the world, including the US and Canada. Currently, the Delta Variant (aka B.1.617.2), which has rampaged India, has very rapidly become the dominant variant in the UK, replacing the previously dominant Alpha Variant (B.1.1.7). It is rapidly gaining the same ground in the US and some experts expect it to be dominant in the next month. This article discusses the Variants and looks specifically...
FirstWatch, the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, and EMS World—set out to learn about the current state of dispatch and field crew relations. Authors: Mike Taigman, Audrey Fraizer, and Jonathan Bassett, MA, NREMT
The archive of more than 100 of Stout's articles and essays was funded through a partnership between FirstWatch and AIMHI.
Online Collection will Showcase the Late EMS Visionary’s Legacy
FirstWatch and the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) Partner to Fund the Jack Stout Archive at The National EMS Museum. Online Collection will Showcase the Late EMS Visionary’s Legacy.
Online Collection will Showcase the Late EMS Visionary’s Legacy
The National EMS Museum will digitally transcribe and catalog the documents as part of its digital library and research archives—part of the virtual museum program created and maintained by volunteers. Many of the articles are already available in the museum’s online Jack Stout Archive. Additional material will be added in future months.
After about a 10 day pause in the Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) Vaccine being administered in the US, on April 23, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practice (APIC), recommended to the CDC & FDA to restart J&J vaccinations again. The pause was due to reports of multiple cases of a new syndrome that identified as an apparently rare cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, later called TTS, and potentially associated with the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. This turned out to be...
