EMS One-Stop

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

Our Inside EMS cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson are joined by guest Major Chris Lokits from Louisville Metro EMS (LMEMS) to discuss paramedic intubations in the field. LMEMS is part of the Prehospital Airway Control Trial (PACT), a four-year Department of Defense research study aimed at "improving survival among people who have difficulty breathing after a trauma," through the University of Louisville. A significant number, up to 15%, of people with traumatic injuries die due to a lack of airway management. 

Dr. Raymond Orthober, LMEMS medical director and assistant professor of emergency medicine at UofL, is helping lead the university's participation in the clinical trial. 

• 5 tips to provide safe and effective ventilation

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

Our cohosts are joined this week by Jeff Hensley, emergency manager for MedTrust Medical Transport in Charleston, South Carolina, who discusses the requirements for the position and the characteristics of a successful emergency manager.

The discussion also touches on the role of emergency management in the community during public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic. 

This episode of EMS One-Stop with Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. 

Fresh back from Montana’s Big Sky EMS Symposium, in this episode of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence chats with Kris Kaull on his history-taking session. They discuss Kaull’s 10 top hacks to improve your history taking, including:

• Thinking like a detective

Kaull has driven innovation and positive change in EMS for over 25 years. After beginning his career as a firefighter and EMT, he started paramedic.com and co-founded EMS1. He is currently the chief marketing officer at Pulsara, a healthcare and mobile tech startup. He has worked as a firefighter captain, paramedic and ambulance service director, and continues his practice as a critical care flight paramedic covering southwest rural MT and Yellowstone National Park.

Kaull has shared his presentation and notes here.

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visitlexipol.com.

Inside EMS cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson respond to the social media discussion on a recent EMS1 article: "Should waveform capnography be in the EMT scope of practice?"

The comments on the topic were divided:

• "If you can bag or insert an airway, you should be able to use ETCO2. As others have said, it’s a fantastic tool for all levels of clinical practice."

Our cohosts discuss how to train EMTs for this skill and how to make it a reality in the educational process. Chris offers his take on the topic and suggests that nothing needs to be added to the EMT curriculum; instead, he believes it's the responsibility of the agency to teach this skill. 

This episode of EMS One-Stop with Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. 

Dr. Ray Barishansky has recently delivered keynote addresses at a number of national and state conferences to much acclaim.

In this week’s episode of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence discusses Barishansky’s key takeaways on professionalism in EMS and after the break, they move on to writing and speaking in the EMS environment. We conclude with an invitation to those interested in writing for EMS1 to reach out.

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

Cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the "hidden curriculum" in EMS education on this episode of the Inside EMS podcast, differentiating the fine line between a discussion of the educational components, the potentiality for bad habits and "lore" of EMS – and all three have a place. The duo makes the case for balance when teaching about the good, the bad and the ugly of an EMS career. 

The discussion also touches on valuing experience over evidence-based medicine, how to take the ego out of the educational process, and instructor tips for teaching flexibility and the importance of doing the right thing as a matter of principle to students. 

• Passion: Is it required to teach EMS?

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

By request, this episode of Inside EMS tackles the topic of resiliency, based on a conversation cohost Chris Cebollero had with listener Benoit Rudolphe at EMS World Expo. Cebollero and fellow cohost Kelly Grayson take the idea and run with it, detailing the top six elements of achieving personal or professional resilience.

Additional resiliency resources:

•  How to build mental health resilience in EMS

This episode of EMS One-Stop with Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. 

This edition of EMS One-Stop looks at diversity, equity and inclusion in U.S. EMS. This episode takes a deep dive into two academic research papers recently published by members of NAEMSP’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee who focus on the delivery of care and how that care may differ based on a patient’s ethnicity and race. 

Host Rob Lawrence welcomes:

• Anjni Joiner, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, and medical director for Durham County EMS

One of the two research papers discussed is now published:

• Rudman JS, Farcas A, Salazar GA, et al. (2022) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the United States Emergency Medical Services Workforce: A Scoping Review, Prehospital Emergency Care

The companion research paper on disparities in care has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication.

This episode of EMS One-Stop with Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. 

Faroukh M. Mehkri is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Texas SW Medical Center as well as a SWAT physician with the Dallas Police Department. He recently presented a session at the International Association of Police Chiefs Conference in Dallas, “Management of the acutely agitated behavioral health emergency: A patrol nightmare.”

In this edition of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence chats with Dr. Mehkri about his lecture and his 15-month deep dive into behavioral health emergency patients, their outcomes, the situations surrounding the calls, and both police and EMS interventions.

Dr. Mehkri delivers key takeaways for both a police and EMS audience:  

1. Words matter, in your documentation and on your body camera

Read more about treating behavioral emergencies

• Expert tips for EMS handling of behavioral emergencies

This episode of EMS One-Stop with Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. 

In this edition of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence welcomes Dr. Alex Isakov, executive director of Emory’s Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) and professor of emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Isakov also leads the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) EMS workgroup developing education and resources to improve EMS and community disaster resilience.

Rob and Dr. Isakov discuss the current Ugandan Ebola outbreak and the implications and risk of spread to the U.S.  

On September 20, 2022, Uganda announced that it had an outbreak of Ebola virus with the Sudan strain, which has now spread amongst five of its administrative districts. The case and death count, as of October 12, 2022, was 74 total cases (54 confirmed) and 39 deaths (19 confirmed). As a result, the U.S. has issued a Health Advisory Network (HAN) Travel Alert Level 2 and HAN Health Advisory for healthcare workers to be aware of the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, monitor for symptoms consistent with Ebola, and utilize best practices if there are any signs that someone might be experiencing an illness consistent with it.

The tactics to identify, isolate, and inform are discussed as well as reminder about PPE requirements. Rob and Dr. Isakov also conduct an additional roundup on the current situation on COVID and Monkeypox. 

Additional EMS resources

• CDC: Guidance for Emergency Medical Services and 911 communication centers