Too often, EMS teams and leadership get stuck in existing habits, making change all the more challenging. Prehospital solutions can transform this process.ĭespite the enormous potential of this new technology, the implementation across teams can seem like a daunting task to some. EMS teams must follow a standardized protocol and quickly align across care teams to ensure the best possible treatment. For instance, when receiving a call for a condition such as stroke, treatment is a carefully crafted process and every minute is critical. Leveraging technology to streamline EMS workflows is especially important when responding to calls for life-threatening conditions. "There is no doubt that the antiquated prehospital technology space is long overdue for disruption," writes Gaurav Bhatia.
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Some examples of this include giving leaders visibility into where resources are most scarce, and enabling them to make data-driven decisions about how to best allocate team members and other resources. Within the EMS community, where teams are constantly changing and onboarding new members, technology can help to provide better coordination – both with other team members and with receiving hospital staff. Fortunately, technologies, such as prehospital solutions, could help provide some relief. In turn, those in need of medical assistance can expect slower emergency response times and care. EMS personnel are facing surging demand, burnout and the overall emotional toll of a global pandemic. These staffing shortages pose a threat to EMS teams’ ability to respond quickly to healthcare emergencies, especially in rural and underserved parts of the country. It has gotten so unmanageable, that the American Ambulance Association recently issued a letter to Congress requesting urgent attention to and action on the matter. This long-term problem has been building for more than a decade, and has been further exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With percentages that high, ambulance services face 100% turnover over a four-year period. A recent survey of nearly 20,000 employees working across 258 EMS organizations found that overall turnover among paramedics and EMS personnel ranges from 20-30% annually. Unfortunately, this issue is nothing new. EMS teams around the United States are facing a crippling workforce shortage.