Pre-Hospital Treatment Protocols

Before a patient is admitted to the hospital, it is important to establish symptoms, pre-existing conditions, open wounds, broken bones, cuts, bruises and infectious conditions. Thus, emergency medical professionals are trained in protocols for determining a patient's condition, ensuring patient and staff safety, and minimizing the potential for further injury.

Transport Protocols

• Vehicles that transport patients to the hospital or provide emergency medical treatment on-scene must meet pre-hospital standards, including sanitized surfaces and equipment, ventilation that fights the spread of air-borne infection, means for safe handling and disposal of bodily fluids, and such personal protections as gloves and goggles. Also important is the communications system for relaying information to doctors and hospital staff.

Patient Evaluation

• Patient evaluation is important to determining the seriousness of a condition and the level of immediate treatment, to establish the potential for further injury, and to act quickly in life-or-death situations. Protocols call for observation and reading of breathing, pulse, blood pressure, consciousness, alertness, body temperature, pupils, ability to speak, movement, pain, wounds, cuts and bruises.

Treatment

• Certified emergency medical technicians must be prepared to provide respiratory relief, fibrillation, oxygen, intubation, joint stabilization and bone splints. They also must recognize the need to treat shock, to recognize blood-sugar problems, symptoms of stroke or heart attack, poisoning and allergic reactions. If further treatment is required, the patient should be taken to the hospital within 10 minutes of stabilization.