The Impact of Specialized Training for Emergency Medical Services Specialists on the Accuracy of Triage in Emergency Departments

ISBN-978-93-6175-685-6

In medical emergencies, time is of the essence. This requires each and every member involved
in healthcare, especially emergency departments (ED), to have a kind of precision which goes
without question, to make decisions rapidly and with the highest level of skill. Similarly, on
such a sea of pain and noise where patients are nameless and faceless, it is essential to prioritize
patients and opt to help those who might be saved by some simple procedure that takes little
time at all. This skill – called triage – is at the heart of emergency care and makes sure that
patients receive appropriate treatment when they need it most
Triage has long been seen as a province of emergency rooms and the battlefield, but how well
it is done can depend much on skills and expertise. In emergency medical services (EMS)
today, the field has shifted with specialized training programs playing an increasingly
important role. Training programmes seek to deepen the knowledge base and refine the
judgment systems of paramedics, EMTs and other EMS specialists. The eventual result is that
care given to patients once they step through those hospital doors becomes closely dependent
on these programs.
This book, entitled The Impact of Specialized Training for Emergency Medical Services
Specialists on Triage in Emergencies, will study how EMS completion rates affect triage
decision-making. Key to this study is the relationship between specialized education and handson training versus patient results: accuracy and effectiveness of triage under crisis conditions
in an emergency environment.
The book collates insights from research findings, expert opinions, case studies and interviews
with people in the field to explain the critical role that EMS specialists – especially those who
have received advanced specialized training – play in shaping initial ED assessments. We study
how this specialized training changes decision-making processes, the handling of patients who
are critically ill or injured and how it can eliminate mistakes that arise when people makes
judgments about patients trapped in battle conditions such as in the field.
This work seeks to highlight not just the profound impact of specialized training but also
underscores the need to continually update and improve EMS training programmes in order to
stay ahead of what are now rapidly growing challenges. In this way we hope to provide valuable
guidance for health professionals, administrators, policy makers and educators aiming to
enhance patient care, emergency services and the broader relationship between training and
triage.
We aim, by discussing both the theoretical frameworks and practices in specialized EMS
training, to highlight the unarguable links which exist between better emergency care systems
and an efficiently trained EMS personnel. Such an issue looms vastly important, as swift and
timely decision-making in triage too often hinges on the question of life or death.
Finally, as you read these chapters, we invite you to tread into a substantial topic: how it is that
advanced, specialized training can significantly affect the outcome of emergency medical care
and what new advances may be within reach for the whole triage process globally.