Ambulance Crew Configuration: Are Two Paramedics Better Than One?

The appropriate complement of ambulance crews has long been debated in the United States. From the very beginning of modern day EMS, circa 1966, we’ve failed to agree on the most efficacious number of crew members who should staff an ambulance, as well as their appropriate combined scope of practice.1,2 Numerous models exist around the country, differing in both the number of practitioners that compose a crew, and the levels of training each possesses.3 Levels of EMS practitioners have been well-defined through state regulations and national standards. Published reports have concluded the essential nature of EMS, the improved patient outcomes which result from such services and their positive economic impact upon our society. However, there’s no consensus on the best complement of practitioners necessary for EMS systems to function at an optimal level.4–8 Although most agree that basic life Support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) services should be available to every community and every patient, this isn’t necessarily the case nationwide.3 Neither is the organizational structure, design of the delivery systems for these two EMS tiers, or how they interact with each other.9 Some communities utilize all ALS ambulances in a single-tier system, sending these units to all requests for EMS. Others use separate response ALS units (with partial, or all ALS crews, which may or may not be vehicles with the ability to transport patients) and BLS ambulances, dispatched toge...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Exclusive Articles Operations Source Type: news