POSITION STATEMENT

Position Statement: Patient Safety in Emergency Medical Services



Position Statement: Patient Safety in Emergency Medical Services

Summary

Patient safety in Emergency Medical services (EMS) is a subject of concern in recent times. The subject has been poorly studied and not given its due attention. Due to this paucity in significant evidence to support the topic, a growing number of medical researchers are now focusing on the safety of patients in Emergency Health care and Medical Services. This knowledge gap has given birth to a lot of problems in the emergency services availed by the patients and have resulted in damages and distress. There is more responsibility on emergency nurses than ever before. They should ensure that the patients are not at the risk of injury due to medical errors in the emergency care units. Emergency nurses are a critical member of the emergency health care team, providing identification of potential or actual risk, communication of safety threats and prevention of patient harm.

Significance

Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are often exposed to situations that are harsh and unfriendly. These individuals work under stressful conditions and poor working conditions. The situations that they face are challenging and demand urgent health care intrusions. It is often this environment that makes them frustrated and overwhelmed. The family members of the patient are often panicked and anxious while urgent health care may not be available. These situations are nerve-wrecking and calls for assistance and proper managements. While the patients demand acute medical aids within the realms of Emergency units, it is up to the nurses and paramedical staff to cater to their urgent needs along with managing the overall dissemination of health benefits and treatments. There can be many troubled situations in pre-hospital settings. There is a dire need to understand the significance of patient safety in the EMS. Patient safety arrangements in emergency care settings calls for a team-based approach that is focused towards the removal or reduction of unsafe acts during the pre-hospital stage where the patient is brought under extreme lack of medical aid. This approach has to be carefully developed, implemented, controlled and monitored to improve the culture of safety within the realms of emergency care settings. The complexity of emergency care is only a single factor that shows the sensitivity and significance of the safety of patients while they are in the emergency care units. It is only aft6er here that the patient is admitted for hospital-based care. Whatever diagnosis is preliminary done in the emergency units forms the foundation of health care that is to be acquired later on (Patterson, 1995).

Emergency nurses constitute the most critical part of the team that supervises the provision of emergency health care. These nurses have to go beyond their assigned tasks sometimes, to cater to each and every patient adequately. The various functions that these nurses perform include the identification of risks that are involved at this stage, preventing patients from any harm, and to communicate threats of ...