The EMS Handoff

Tim Nowak, AAS, BS, NRP, CCEMTP, SPO, MPO, CADS is the founder & CEO of Emergency Medical Solutions, LLC, an EMS training and consulting company that he developed in 2010.  Through this venture, he is the editor-in-chief of “EMS Director” magazine, a webinar/app-based continuing education content developer, a columnist and blog write, a product developer, an instructor and speaker, a podcast guest and host, and a social media influencer on LinkedIn. Tim is also the assistant chief of Special Operations with a county-wide EMS agency based in Florida, where he oversees the planning and logistics sections, special operations functions and community paramedicine programs for the agency. This podcast the EMS Handoff crew is going to review Nowak's article Training Day: 3 options for safely transporting your pediatric patient

On this week’s Episode of the EMS Handoff, hosts David Blevins, Eric McCullough and Bradley Dean are joined by Dr. Remle Crowe who serves as a research scientist with ESO.  During this conversation, Dr. Crowe discusses the significance of data and how EMS data is being used to help support the understanding of COVID-19 on the country. Dr. Remle Crowe is an expert in EMS research and quality improvement. From truck clutches to clinical care, she has shown how research and improvement science work to solve problems across fields. Prior to earning a PhD in Epidemiology, her EMS career began with the Red Cross in Mexico City as a volunteer EMT. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications related to prehospital care and the EMS workforce. Now, as a research scientist with ESO, Dr. Crowe routinely uses EMS data to improve community health and safety.

In this week’s episode of The EMS Handoff Podcast, Bradley and David converse with Dr. Bryan Bledsoe and clinical issues related to diabetic emergencies and the need to expand critical thinking within the profession.  Dr. Bledsoe is certainly an individual that certainly needs no introduction.  He is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine and an attending emergency physician at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS. Dr. Bledsoe has over 40 years of experience in EMS and is the author of numerous textbooks, journal articles, and peer-review papers. In 2008 he was named a “Hero of Emergency Medicine” by the American College of Emergency Physicians.  In 2014 he received the John P. Pryor, MD, Award for exemplary service to EMS. He resides in Midlothian, TX and Las Vegas, NV.

On this week’s episode of The EMS Handoff Podcast, Eric, Bradley and David converse with Tom Herron, Associate Professor and Clinical Coordinator at Roane State Community College about the hidden fears of EMS.  He is an advocate for EMS and seeks to empower EMS Professors to seek help for the injuries and scars that go unseen through experiences with prehospital providers clinical experience.  To reach out to Tom, you can email at [email protected]

In this Episode of the EMS Handoff Podcast, Eric, David and Bradley are joined by Mr. Kevin Collopy and they discuss clinical errors in EMS.  Kevin is the clinical outcomes & compliance manager for NHRMC AirLink/VitaLink Critical Care Transport where he oversees the program's research, education, risk management, and quality assurance programs. Kevin regularly speaks across the United States and has taught emergency & wilderness medicine on 3 continents. He's an author of over 150 articles and book chapters including 12 peer-reviewed research abstracts and papers. He can be contacted via LinkedIn and Twitter (@ktcollopy).Additionally, Kevin serves on several national and international advisory boards, is a past president of the IAFCCP, teaches the paramedic program at Cape Fear Community College and is pursuing a Master's in Healthcare Leadership.

This week, the hosts of the EMS Handoff Podcast were joined by Mr. Ed Moreland.   Ed Moreland, NRP, is a Metro Washington, DC native, and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and PA Army National Guard who has been actively engaged in EMS since 1990 when he ran his first EMS call as a volunteer in Montgomery County, PA. A Nationally Registered Paramedic, Ed has worked in a variety of EMS models, including non-profit, for-profit, hospital based and rural systems.  He has served as a paramedic, supervisor, regulator, Deputy Chief and Chief.  He is currently working in senior leadership with a national medical transportation provider. The covers a large variety of topics to include advocating for the patient, profession and self.

In this week’s episode of the EMS Handoff, the crew talks with Wes Ogilvie as he addresses the “lawyer boogeyman” issue, as well as documentation tips you can us today to improve your practice.  He also discusses EMTALA and its impact on patient care, specifically in stroke and heart attack cases. Being a patient advocate is of supreme importance and has implications medically, legally, and ethically for your patient. Refusals are an often source of medical liability and it's all about consent. Wes discusses best practices for legal consent and the importance of capturing present mental capacity. Wes wraps up with scene safety considerations, including restraints and excess of force. Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, NRP, LP is a practicing attorney for Texas state government and has been in EMS since 2004 and a paramedic since 2007. One of the few who is still practicing medicine and law.  His experience has been primarily volunteer with a variety of agencies in Central Texas and the Houston area both suburban, and rural. Wes is currently a paramedic/FTO with West EMS and a paramedic with Huffman EMS.  He has taught both initial and continuing education EMS courses. Throughout his career he has been published in several EMS periodicals and co-authored the Medical-Legal chapter of Paramedic Care: Principles and Practice. In addition to both chasing and driving ambulances, he’s an active blogger. Visit his blog at www.theambulancechaser.com.

Show Notes:  Timothy S. Redding has been involved in EMS for over 25 years. He has been teaching both hospital and prehospital emergency personnel for over a decade and is certified as an instructor by the American Heart Association, the US Department of Homeland Security, the State of New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, among others. Tim is an experienced paramedic and has worked in challenging urban and rural EMS systems. Tim was recently named New Hampshire EMS Educator of the Year for 2017. Redding discusses the implications of cognitive dissonance in EMS and how we can reduce cognitive dissonance in our decision making. He goes through various types of bias we may not realize when making decisions, including confirmation, plan continuation, and anchoring. Redding wraps up with decision fatigue and cognitive reframing. RESOURCES “The field guide to understanding human error - Plan Continuation Bias” Cautionary Tales (First Episode- On the Rocks) Do It for Drew www.eec.org

Episode 3 – Violence Against EMS Personnel This week’s episode, hosts Bradley Dean and David Blevins are joined by Mr. Joseph Zalkin, retired Deputy Director Wake County EMS, to talk about violence against EMS personnel.  Violence has been a hot topic as many responders have experienced violence from patients, and many states have started to consider or pass legislation escalating penalties associated with these concerns.  We talk about how to empower teams to handle violence, and make sure they feel like they have the resources and support to handle a situation that may occur. Make sure to subscribe, rate and review.

Episode 2 Show notes: Episode 2 guests Dr. Maia Dorsett and Jamie Wilson join the EMS Handoff Podcast crew to discuss the critical moment of relating concise, accurate information to healthcare providers. Continuity of care is paramount to patient disposition and ultimate treatment. The long lines of care start with EMS but don't end there. It's everyone's responsibility to ensure patient information is accurately transferred. Dr. Dorsett writes about the Critical Moment in Patient Care in her article. Her research focuses on barriers to adequate patient care hand-offs, including interruptions in the reporting timeline. Jamie Wilson, Paramedic and RN, also has a wealth of knowledge both in patient care and research. His article goes in depth both addressing the problem of patient care hand off reports and providing meaningful solutions. The group covers the pros and cons of using a structured approach such as MIST to relay information as well as discuss key findings in both guests' research and its impact on EMS providers and their patients today. Sources: http://www.naemsp-blog.com/emsmed/2017/7/27/the-ems-ed-handoff-a-critical-moment-in-patient-care https://www.jems.com/2020/06/23/the-key-to-a-successful-patient-care-hand-off/