Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services (pronunciation: /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi ˈmɛdɪkəl ˈsɜːrvɪsɪz/), are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which prevent the patient from transporting themselves.
Etymology
The term "emergency medical service" evolved to reflect a change from a simple system of ambulances providing only transport, to a system in which preliminary medical care is given on scene and during transport. In some developing regions, the term is not used, or may be used inaccurately, since the service in question does not provide treatment to the patients, but only the provision of transport to the point of care.
Related Terms
- Ambulance: A vehicle equipped for taking sick or injured people to and from the hospital, especially in emergencies.
- Paramedic: A healthcare professional who responds to medical emergencies outside of a hospital.
- Emergency Department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medical and surgical care to patients arriving at the hospital in need of immediate care.
- First Aid: The immediate assistance given to any person suffering a sudden illness or injury.
- Triage: The assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.
- Definitive Care: The level of medical care that definitively treats a patient's condition or disease.
- Acute Care: A branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Emergency medical services
- Wikipedia's article - Emergency medical services
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