Alternative Models for EMS Delivery
From our readings and from your own research discuss alternative models for EMS delivery and your own preferences. In determining how a community should provide Emergency Medical Services what factors should be taken into account when determining whether it should be public or private or fire department based?
EMS describes a system for providing emergency medical care to patients when activated by incidents that cause injury or a serious illness. There are four delivery models for emergency services (MacKenzie & Carlini, 2008). The public safety or fire department usually act as the first to respond before an ambulance arrives. They provide basic or advanced support of life according to the department’s funding, training, and goals (EMS, 2009). They may also provide transport through the department ambulance or helicopter to the state police. Some are based on volunteers.
The private model is often used for transfers between facilities like a skilled nursing home to a hospital. In addition, they may conduct special transfers like transfer of trauma patients through contracts with hospitals, hence the most preferable (EMS, 2016). The volunteer model involves staff who work part-time without compensation. They may work on shift or when needed to respond (MacKenzie & Carlini, 2008). The non-traditional model supplements the present EMS system to lower the burden or serve as a precaution during high-risk events.
Several factors need to be considered in choosing whether EMS should be public, fire department-based or private. The distance to where patients need to be transported is a key factor. The public model transports the patient to the nearby hospital within their service area, while the private one transports clients to their hospital of choice no matter the distance. The cost spent on using a public EMS is lower than a private one (Byers, 2010). The economic status of the community in question can determine the most affordable model. The severity of the situation also determines the kind of model to be used (McLaughlin, Riutta & Busko). The private EMS provides basic and advanced life support, while the public one majorly provides basic life support.