Raising the Level of Emergency Medical Services
10.2185/jjrm.63.
- VernacularTitle:救急対応のレベルアップへの取り組み
- Author:
Akimi TAMAKOSHI
;
Kyoko IKEDA
;
Yumi ISHIKOSHI
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
2015;63(5):792-796
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
Hospital A, nestled among hills, plays a central role in providing health services in the region with a population of about 150,000. Designated as a secondary emergency care hospital, it has no independent emergency care team, but has made every arrangement to provide emergency medical services around the clock: In the daytime on weekdays, clinical department physicians and nurses, and in the night time and on holidays, one doctor and two nurses on duty are in charge. Nurses on night duty and on holidays vary in clinical experience and ability to cope with emergencies. Apparently, they are struggling to maintain their presence of mind when they are receiving patients requiring immediate attention or when they are answering to emergency telephone calls. In May 2012, the hospital moved to the place within easy access of the main road and a heliport was built. It was expected that the number ofpatients rushed to the hospital in ambulances would increase. Against this background, there arouse an urgent need for every paramedic and nurse to make an right assessment of the conditions of the patients promptly and sort them rightly according to the emergency of their need for care. To meet this need, we started to work on standards of triage categorization and practice according symptoms, and classification of severity. Moreover, to develop the ability of the staff to deal with the emergencies, study meetings were held and case reviews took place.
