Managing Emergency Medical Services: Stroke Care Optimization

This report discusses the history and evolution of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with a focus on stroke patient care. It highlights the importance of timely and efficient healthcare for stroke victims, emphasizing the roles of comprehensive stroke centers, data management, and patient networks. The report also addresses accountability in healthcare facilities like St Mary’s and Baptist hospitals, the need for compliance with health standards, and strategies for improving patient care through advanced technology and well-coordinated services. Furthermore, it stresses the significance of continuous monitoring, rehabilitation programs, and community integration to enhance the quality of life for stroke-affected individuals, advocating for direct admissions to comprehensive care units to minimize health risks and ensure immediate treatment.

Running head: MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 1
Managing Emergency Medical Services
Name
Institutional Affiliation

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 2
The History of Emergency Medical Services System
The United States have experienced a rapid growth in Emergency Medical Services since
1960 to 1973 due to a number of factors such as social, medical, and historical forces. EMS
researchers must acknowledge the fact that these forces exist and have limitations that need to be
modified to achieve a high quality acute care to the residence of the United States and generally
help through the disease prevention programs, injury control, and new community needs.
Evolution of Emergency Medical services system has been slow however; the modern
EMS was initially experienced during the Napoleon’s time to dress the injured soldiers. The new
forces have resulted into a structured Emergency Medical Services system that has had profound
implication in the public health sector today. Jean Dominique is considered as the inventor of the
modern Emergency Medical Services. He was a napoleon’s Chief physician who organized how
the injured French soldiers would be transported and treated during the civil war. The methods
applied during this period of civil war were referred to as civil Emergency Medical Services that
were realized during the late 1800s. This system was later developed in 1960 with services
provided by fire departments, hospitals, and volunteer groups. Physicians used ambulances while
others had minimal training or untrained personnel. Despite the experience of medical
specialization and the need of more methods of health delivery after World War II, the
Emergency Medical System had not received much attention that is required.
Introduction
Emergency medical services [EMS], also known as Paramedical or ambulance services,
are all categorized as emergency services in hospital facilities. Emergency medical services can
also be elucidated as comprehensive systems that provide the arrangement of personnel,

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 3
equipment and facilities that provide efficient health care for the affected stroke related patients
or an accident (Kobusingnye et al, 2005). In order to reduce death and disability, there is the
need to have motivated personnel, adequate supplies of equipment and proper management.
The aim of emergency medical services is to focus on providing timely care to the
affected victims or emergencies in order to prevent needless mortality or long-term effects to the
patient. The function of Emergency Medical Services includes; accessing emergencies, care in
the community, providing care and transportation and providing care in the rural health facilities.
High quality of care giving, which implies lower deaths, encourages people to transfer patients to
such facilities promptly (Leigh et al, 1997).
An emergency service is a system that is mainly composed of coordinated systems in the
emergency medical Centre. Emergency medical services are mainly composed of organizations,
communication, and agencies. Its serves are integrated and it aims at improving health care in the
community (Kobusingnye et al, 2005).
Heath stroke
Howlett (2012) describes stroke as a neurological condition that involves death of cells in
a certain part of the brain, which is caused by reduced flow of blood flow. It can also be caused
by damaged blood vessels in the brain [intra-cerebral haemmohage. Stroke is the third leading
deadly disease along cancer and heart related illnesses. The brain controls a number of body
functions, stroke diagnosis is essential for its successful treatment. Treatment of stroke related
complications should always occur in two intervals; but the common phase is resuscitation and
maintenance. Speed is therefore critical to the whole process (Musuka & Wilton, 2015).

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 4
The New York State Department of Health (2007) realizes two main known types of
stroke; Ischemic stroke which is commonly by blocked arteries and narrowed blood vessels
treatment is always by regulating the amount of blood flow, emergency procedures are always
carried out to reduce risks of strokes. Hemorrhage is a stroke condition that is always caused by
blood leaking to the brain; treatment is done by administering drugs to the patient to reduce
blood pressure, and to prevent seizures.
Stroke affected patients in St Mary’s hospital and Baptist hospital are always affected
emotionally, specific therapies are administered to the affected victims, therapies include;
speech, physical and occupational therapy. Occupational therapy is aimed at improvements in
handling daily routine chores, speech therapy aids in helping out problems dealing with
producing and understanding speech while on the other hand physical therapy helps the patient to
relearn movements and coordination. There are different tests done to diagnose patients with
stroke and to specify which type of stroke happened. Furthermore, there are tremendous
advances that have been made to ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke (Gorelick, 2012).
For example, telephone calls provoke stroke to be treated as a top-level emergency (Acker et al,
2007).
Comprehensive stroke Centre
Comprehensive center have specialized personal and resources, these services are all in
large referral units, which admit huge amount of stroke-affected individuals, which always
includes complex related issues. Stroke services are a dedicated unit, organized to link
emergency systems, rehabilitation of patient’s prevention and community integration.
Comprehensive care units allow access to highly specialized personnel; it also allows handling of
more complicated stroke patients and a place to provide excellent outcomes.

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 5
Comprehensive stroke center provides standards eligible for a primary stroke Centre this include;
availability of trained personnel in vascular neurology, and endovascular procedures;
experienced expertise treating patients with large stroke intracerebral hemorrhage and
subachnuid hemorrhage (Alberts, 2005). Some services are tasked on the responsibity of
planning and coordinating stroke services for a designated area.
Skilled and professional stroke teams are essential components in fighting and tracing
stroke affected victims (Cramm & Nieboer, 2011). Data of stroke-affected victims are to be kept
for future record and references. Description of stroke data sets includes; a national audit,
national indicator set and minimum data sets.
Stroke Network and Transport
Stroke network provides patients with enhanced in-house stroke care and access at all
preferred times to highly specialized neurologists who can provide advanced therapy for patients
with strokes. St Mary’s hospital and Baptist hospital Emergency Medical Services bypass due to
telestroke site service suspension (Jagolino, 2016). .
Bidding for and setting up a comprehensive stroke unit to enhance monitoring of stroke
network team. Every stroke-affected patient is assessed against the health standards of that
particular country/state. Clinical pathways for local stroke network ambulance crews who
transport stroke-affected patients appropriately are able to access the facilities. Stroke team
creation and primary stroke Centre certification, the team must integrate with the facilities
available in the patient with acute stroke including laboratory, Nursing and computed
tomography.

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 6
Holding Hospitals Accountable
Health care is a top priority in any government, making health care providers and the
entire organization accountable to promoting positive behaviors (Forster, 2012). St Mary’s
hospital and Baptist hospital is tasked to direct individuals and health organizations towards
setting important priorities towards healthcare setting up targets that promotes collaboration in
any health facility. Integrity and accountability are fundamental to ensuring trust between
healthcare provider and to the public at large; there is need for existence of good and lasting
relationships between the patient and health providers.
As the chairperson of EMS, I will set the rule of holding staff on night shift accountable
for any patient complaints and negligence. Unacceptable behaviors among the employees can
prevent the organization from reaching; attaining their goals, who is to be held responsible for
the quality of care, decision about a patient care is an increasing subject to the factors outside the
nurses, and doctors’ control, creating challenges for the license individuals and the entire board
of members.
Facility health standards
Healthcare compliance is the process of administering legal and professional standards,
which are applicable to the organization; its aim is exerting pressure to the health facilities that
do not comply with the law (Baker & McKenzie, 2015). As the chairman of the selected
committee, my aim is to set the laws and make sure that every individual has to adhere to the
rules set aside by the committee. Health facilities are set to be standardized according to the law.
The committee will make stroke networks effective by; promoting the use of standardized
approach in the facility setups, ensuring that every approach is set to be viewed and put into

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 7
place. Delivering good and high quality comprehensive stroke services requires advanced and
well developed technology available to health care givers, some stroke services offers to the
affected stroke affected patients requires usage of technology such as videoconferencing so as to
link patients between the two hospitals.
The committee responsible will make sure that there is good governance by including
guiding principles and rules, besides creating good interactions among the employees of St
Mary’s hospital and Baptist hospital by taking care of the stroke-affected patients.
Addressing Patient Networks
As the chairman my main aim is addressing comprehensive care units in St Mary’s and
Baptist hospital, it’s unclear if all patients are to be transferred to comprehensive care Centre
however clinical data remains and in support of transporting stroke patients to comprehensive
care centers, especially when the time is too short and running out. The distance between St
Mary’s hospital and Baptist hospital is miles away due to this, there should exist the use of
transport emergency in the departments, systematic record keeping are to be put into place for
future and emergency references.
It will be important to address the two hospitals in the north and south to enlarge their
stroke units to enable admissions of each stroke patients to comprehensive care units after
continuous and onset of stroke symptoms. By exerting pressure on holding clinical programme at
respective comprehensive care units for screening of stroke related complications and emerging
illnesses by facilitating and integrating the patients to the community.
Data and record keeping is an essential and basic requirement in any health facility
regardless of the department behind held upon, keeping and recording data at all times in stroke

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 8
comprehensive care units of St Mary’s and Baptist hospital. This will help keep track of all the
patients being admitted, discharged, on rehabilitation centers and patients being on transit to the
north and south to help in tracing and keeping their networks intact.
Patients networks are to be constructed and monitored in St Mary’s and Baptist hospitals which
should offer habilitations programme and counseling insights to patients who are affected by
secondary effects of stroke; this always helps them to stay safely and beside that it helps in
aiming and improving the quality of care at their respective homes.
The period at which the affected stroke patients are to be admitted and treated; how long
should patients in critical conditions are to stay in comprehensive care units and how their
treatment and care is to be monitored. The time duration of such related illness should always be
short but if the illness process takes too long to heal then time the time should be increased.
As the chairman of St Mary’s and Baptist hospital set committee, there is need in
developing care process in which a certain large number of stroke patients are to be admitted
directly in the north and south comprehensive care centers. The importance of admitting patients
directly to the facility is to pose little risk to their health and getting proper treatment instantly.
Conclusion
Stroke is a highly rated predicament third after cancer and heart related illnesses. Proper
diagnosis and care should be the first priority in handling affected patients. Health care should
educate patients and the entire community on preventions and risks related to stroke.

MANAGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 9
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