Prehospital Paradigm Podcast

Susie Forgacs, RN, Assistant Fire Chief at Rootstown FD and member of the EMS Institute team joins Dr. Hill, Wes and Scott, once again. This episode, the team is talking about how, in EMS, we USE-ta assess and treat the symptoms. Now, we're learning to differentiate between various symptoms, diseases and medical conditions.

How, when and why to contact the EMSI CISM team is discussed as the discussion wraps up. The team also talks with Susie about how to join the team including the basic training and understanding of privacy involved.

The process of CISM, at least in Susie's surrounding area, has become more accepted as a practice. In the meantime, there has been an increase in one-on-one request to talk. Part of the change is not necessarily a critical incident that causes stress but the daily grind of the job. How a peer response team is created is also part of this episode.

Susie Forgacs, RN, Assistant Fire Chief at Rootstown FD and member of the EMS Institute team joins Dr. Hill, Wes and Scott, this month, to talk Critical Incident Stress Management… correct… management… not debriefing.

Recall your vehicle rescue class when they stressed the basics…. check the car door lock before you break the window? That's what the crew is saying in their summary regarding assessment and treatment of patients with seizures…. basics are important… airway, blood glucose, description of the seizure activity. Also, they summarize the discussion of the medication to be administered and why.

In Part 2 of the discussion about patients with seizures, the crew gets deeper in a review of the various definitions of seizures. Dr. Hill reflects the idea that, if the provider happens to not recall the types of seizures by name, they should feel comfortable with describing the seizure activity to the medical command physician. The discussion also includes the standard medication delivery protocol.

Patients experiencing seizure and updated treatment protocols, i.e, use of Ketamine, is what starts this month's topic. But, the biggest thing to remember with patient's experiencing seizures is BLS! Hypoxia can be the biggest factor of complications with these patients. Remember the basics!

We are continuing on with the theme of providing a behind-the-scenes look at the University's EMS Institute. This episode, the crew talk about the Institute's event medicine support capabilities. From supplemental staffing to communications and patient documentation technology, public screenings, as well as unique medical equipment needed on site, the Institute is prepared.

Bringing this episode to a close, the crew talks specific BLS skills such as AEDs, high-quality compressions, simple head positioning changes, wound packing, hypothermia protection, reassessment and trending of vital signs and the use of a simple phone call to med control.

As the BLS review and update continues, the discussion of proper ventilation adjuncts and techniques, massive bleeding control, i.e. tourniquets and direct pressure, and recognizing specific conditions ASA, i.e. stroke patients, diabetic emergencies.)