alcohol use in ems patient care report

About 9% of reported EMS calls with patient contact in 2019 may have involved substance use. Of those, 65% involved alcohol, and 41% involved drugs. These do not sum to 100% since some calls involved both alcohol and drugs.

Full Answer

How does alcohol affect EMS provider outcomes?

The resulting high levels of blood alcohol impact brain function, airway protection, respiratory drive, and heart rate. EMS providers, who frequently make contact with patients under the influence of alcohol, might not be surprised by these findings.

What should an EMT do if a patient has consumed alcohol?

Determine the type and volume of alcohol, as well as other beverages and foods the patient has consumed. "Mixing alcohol with highly caffeinated drinks, like Red Bull or Monster Energy, can be associated with consuming even more alcohol," said Asplund. University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit members are all full-time students and EMTs.

How do EMS agencies target alcoholics?

In addition to widespread community education campaigns, EMS agencies can target interventions to specific individuals. "We know from repeat encounters with some individuals that we need to work with our hospital partners to assist patients that call us regularly because of alcohol dependence," said Pore.

Should you call EMS after a binge drinking episode?

After a binge drinking episode family, friends, and other caregivers might be tempted to simply let their friend, roommate, or spouse 'sleep it off.' Or a police officer might encounter the patient after responding to a disturbance, altercation, or person down and then police officers make the decision to call EMS.

How do Emts treat drunk people?

For EMT-Basics, treating the intoxicated patient consists of constant mental status checks, ensuring stable ABCs, monitoring vitals and rapid transport to the nearest medical facility.

How would you screen for alcohol use in a patient?

Ask about alcohol use. Start with the question. “Do you sometimes drink beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages?” If the patient answers “Yes,” ask, “How many times in the past year have you had five or more drinks in a day?” (For a woman, use four or more drinks). At this point, you can administer the AUDIT.

What do Emts do for alcohol poisoning?

EMS care for a patient with respiratory depression secondary to alcohol ingestion includes airway protection, an OPA or NPA depending on the presence of a gag reflex, preparing for the patient to vomit, assisting ventilations if indicated, and monitoring respiratory status with capnography. "Don't be confrontational.

When should you call EMS for alcohol poisoning?

If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning, even if you don't see the classic signs and symptoms, seek immediate medical care. In an emergency, follow these suggestions : If the person is unconscious, breathing less than eight times a minute or has repeated, uncontrolled vomiting, call 911 immediately.

What is the DSM 5 criteria for alcohol use disorder?

DSM-5 criteria are as follows: A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by 2 or more of the following, occurring at any time in the same 12-month period: Alcohol is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended.

What are the four CAGE questions?

The CAGE Questionnaire Questions (CAGE & CAGE-AID) Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (eye-opener)?

How do you deal with a drunk patient?

Managing an intoxicated personuse the person's name (if known)speak clearly and ask simple questions.be firm but non-threatening.talk slowly and gently.adjust your pace to theirs.keep eye contact (where culturally appropriate)keep instructions brief and clear.avoid information overload but repeat when necessary.More items...

What does etoh mean in EMS?

As you exit your ambulance, one of the police officers tells you the man has had too much to drink and he may need to go to a hospital. This is the “ETOH patient,” referring to ethanol, or drinking alcohol.

How do you take care of a drunk person?

A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Take Care Of A Drunk PersonWarn them.Listen to them.Make them eat.Keep patting them.Enjoy the evening with them.Accompany them to the washroom.Hold their hair back while they puke.Make sure they don't fall prey to unwanted attention.More items...•

Is being drunk a medical emergency?

Alcohol intoxication is considered a medical emergency. If you think someone is experiencing alcohol poisoning, seek emergency medical attention immediately.

What are the signs of an alcohol emergency?

Alcohol poisoning signs and symptoms include:Confusion.Vomiting.Seizures.Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute)Irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths)Blue-tinged skin or pale skin.Low body temperature (hypothermia)Passing out (unconsciousness) and can't be awakened.

What are the first aid management of alcoholic coma?

Seek help: Call 911 for help. Keep them awake: Stay with the person and keep them awake. Provide water: Have them sip water to keep them hydrated if they are awake. Keep them warm: Cover them with a warm blanket.

What is the responsibility of an EMT?

The most important responsibility of an EMT or paramedic is to identify an alcohol intoxicated patient unable to control their own airway. Those patients are at risk of aspiration and require constant EMS monitoring and care during transport to the hospital.

How long does it take for alcohol to reach its peak?

Alcohol takes about 45 minutes to hit its peak limit. In other words, the intoxicated individual weaving in front of you may become even more altered over time, even in the absence of more alcohol consumption.

How many bottles of beer can a 140 pound male drink?

Women do tend to become intoxicated sooner than men. For example, a 140-pound male can reach the 0.08 limit within three bottles of beer, glasses of wine or shots of hard liquor, while a 140-pound female can hit the same limit in just two drinks.

Can alcohol mimic brain injury?

Finally, there are several conditions that can mimic alcohol intoxication, such as diabetic ketoacidosis or an evolving brain injury. Do not be lulled into a snap judgment about alcohol being the culprit; perform a consistent, reasonable assessment for each patient to differentiate drunk from diabetic.

Where is Art Hsieh?

Art Hsieh, MA, NRP teaches in Northern California at the Public Safety Training Center, Santa Rosa Junior College in the Emergency Care Program. An EMS provider since 1982, Art has served as a line medic, supervisor and chief officer in the private, third service and fire-based EMS. He has directed both primary and EMS continuing education programs. Art is a textbook writer, author of "EMT Exam for Dummies," has presented at conferences nationwide and continues to provide direct patient care regularly. Art is a member of the EMS1 Editorial Advisory Board. Contact Art at Art.Hsieh@ems1.com and connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

Can alcohol cause respiratory failure?

Alcohol ingestion begins in the middle school population, sometimes by parents who condone drinking within their homes. The adolescent body is not as well prepared to handle alcohol poisoning and can alcohol intoxication can cause respiratory failure on its own.

Can alcohol cause vomiting?

Alcohol can trigger the vomiting effect without warning. Laterally positioning the patient will go a long way in keeping the patient's airway patent. It makes sense to rest the patient facing away from your lap in the ambulance, but you must be able to continuously monitor the patient's breath ing during transport.

How many people died from drug overdoses in the US in 2019?

The United States is currently experiencing multiple, simultaneous epidemics that claim thousands of lives every week. According to the CDC, over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred between June 2019 and May 2020. That’s the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. An estimated 93,000 Americans die annually from alcohol-related causes.

How many drug overdose deaths in 2019?

How do our estimates compare to other national data on acute care for substance-related causes? The CDC identified 70,630 drug overdose deaths in 2019. We identified 11,662 drug overdose deaths in NEMSIS data in 2019 — about 1 in 5 of the total number of drug overdose deaths reported by the CDC in 2019.

Where do EMS agencies report their data?

EMS data are reported by EMS agencies to their state, and most states report their data in a standardized format to the National EMS Information Systems (NEMSIS) technical assistance center. An anonymized and encrypted version of these data are available to researchers on request.

Who is Katya Fonkych?

Katya Fonkych, PhD is a research economist at RTI International, an independent, non-profit research institute. Her current work involves design, implementation and research of alternative payment models on behalf of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Her previous research focused on provider markets, healthcare pricing, utilization and costs. She received her PhD in Policy Analysis from RAND Graduate School. Views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of RTI.

Paper Patient Care Report (PCR)

Here is an example of two versions of print out, paper PCR you can download and use in your service.

Electronic Patient Care Report (ePCR)

The state of Alaska provids a free ePCR (Electronic Patient Care Report) system allowing communities to customize their run report forms to match their specific community needs.

What Is a Patient Care Report?

We often hear of care reports based on by medical teams or by medical authorities. Yet, we are not sure how this differs from the kind of report that is given to us by the same people. So this is the time to make it as clear as possible.

How to Write a Patient Care Report?

Where do you even begin when you write a patient care report? A lot of EMS or EMTs do know how to write one since they are trained to do so.

What is a patient care report?

A patient care report is a document made mostly by the EMS or EMTs. This documented report is done after getting the call. This consists of the information necessary for the assessment and evaluation of a patient’s care.

What should not be written in a patient care report?

What should be avoided in a patient care report is making up the information that is not true to the patient. This is why you have to be very careful and very meticulous when writing these kinds of reports. Every detail counts.

Who is in charge of reading the patient care report?

The person or the people who will be reading the report are mostly medical authorities. When you are going to be passing this kind of report, make sure that you have all the information correctly. One wrong information can cause a lot of issues and problems.

What is the most recent handoff between EMS and ED providers?

Among EMS and ED providers surveyed in the state of Minnesota, most feel the most recent handoff between them met their expectations, regardless of years of experience or location of employment. However, in some handoffs key information was still missing and this gap is an opportunity for improvement. Several ideas for improving handoffs were suggested such as consistent, structured and concise communication from EMS to ED providers in a timely manner.

Why is it important to communicate information regarding the patient?

To optimize care, it is vital to communicate important information regarding the patient, not only in direct conversation yet also via written documentation and effectively transferred. It is also important that both EMS and emergency providers perceive the handoff to be of good quality.

Why is clinical information important in EMS?

All of these components of clinical information are essential to reduce errors and enhance patient care. According to the position statement from the National Association of EMS Physicians, clearly defined processes for face-to-face communication of key information from EMS providers to emergency department providers are essential to improve patient safety, reduce medical errors, and vertically integrate EMS successfully with a health-care system. 3 The position statement further emphasizes that “verbal information alone may lead to inaccurate or incomplete documentation of information and inadequate availability of information to subsequent treating providers.” 3

Is EMS handoff QI?

Very few ED providers noted that the EMS to ED handoff is a part of a QI project at their organization, but many EMS and ED providers had ideas for how to improve the handoff process. In general, EMS personnel felt prepared to deliver a quality handoff.

Is handoff a good quality?

Nonetheless, it remain s important that both the EMS and the emergency medical providers view the handoff as a good quality handoff. To limit the amount and severity of errors and to improve patient outcomes, numerous strategies have been suggested to improve handoffs between EMS and emergency department providers.

Is there a correlation between handoffs?

In an observational study of handoffs , there was no correlation between emergency department perceptions of the handoff from EMS and whether or not key information was missing from the handoff. 2 Therefore, the quality of handoffs cannot be measured solely from what the provider believes to be a good handoff.

Is there a study on handoffs in emergency medical services?

To date, no study has been published to specifically determine the perceived quality of handoffs between EMS and emergency department providers in the state of Minnesota. This exploratory project could help provide insight toward improving handoffs and guide future research and quality improvement projects.

Our Motivations

Ems Data

About The Sample

About Our Measures

• First, we developed a set of substance use and outcome measures by combining information available in NEMSIS: 1. ICD-10 diagnosis codes noted by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) that are associated with substance use (recorded as “symptoms” and “impressions”); 2. indicators for drug or alcohol paraphernalia; indicators for specific drug overdos...

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Comparing Nemsis Results to Other Sources

Conclusions