Multidisciplinary Collaboration In Emergency Medical Services

Abstract

Healthcare is the delivery of care and service to the patient; therefore, it is important to relate this care delivery and/or service to patient outcomes. Outcomes can be seen from two perspectives: positive, in which the service/care provided resulted in improvement to the patient's well-being, and negative, in which the service/care provided did not meet the patient's needs and requirements, resulting in no improvement or a deterioration in the patient's well-being. The latter is often referred to as an adverse event, and its impact can be both short-term (through exacerbation of a condition or further injury) and long-term (in which the patient's confidence and trust in the healthcare system have been affected). High-quality patient care is our goal, and an improvement in patient outcomes is what we aim to achieve. The very model of EMS in the UK is multi-disciplinary, consisting of different professions in primary and secondary care. A profession can be defined as a vocation founded on specialized educational training. The purpose of the profession is to apply the training and knowledge to an area of need, and it has a code of ethics for its members. The current modernization of the NHS, with changes in the role of primary care, has blurred the boundaries of professional practice. Some professions in EMS are autonomous in nature, with direct access to patients and their diagnosis and treatment. An example of this would be a paramedic. Others may have a dependent role with indirect patient contact. An example of this would be a veterinary nurse working in the helo-vet service. Each profession has its own professional identity and values, and there is potential scope for adverse outcomes if conflict with patient management and/or need occurs between professions. With today's focus on inter-professional care between professions and patient healthcare having a direct relationship to professional practice, now is the time to examine multi-disciplinary interventions between professions in EMS and their impact on patient care and outcomes.

Emergency medical services (EMS) are an essential part of any healthcare system. Efficient and timely patient care is paramount at the scene of a medical or trauma incident, and in many cases, the quality of patient outcomes depends on the speed and efficiency with which care is delivered. This paper will focus on the different elements and complex relationships that occur between the primary services (ambulance, helo-vet, and first response) and the potential impact that these can have on the overall patient care and outcome. By the very nature of their jobs, healthcare is a collaboration between professionals from a wide variety of disciplines, each of whom brings a different body of knowledge and perspective to the care of the patient. The complexity of healthcare needs often surpasses the skills of one profession; patient needs can be wide-ranging and diverse. EMS is a unique healthcare system in that it provides immediate care to a patient and then an avenue in which to further transport and access further care. Often in the hospital setting, there is a multi-disciplinary approach to care; however, in many cases, in the pre-hospital setting, this can be disjointed and occur between different service plans and the handover of patient care. This paper will conclude by considering the potential impact of changes to multi-disciplinary clinical governance and the potential for standardizing educational outcomes between professions to improve overall patient care and experience in the pre-hospital setting.