COMMUNICATIONS

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COMMUNICATIONS

• EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN - BASIC

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• ACCESS/NOTIFICATION
• Communication between party needing help and
  dispatcher
• Via public telephone
• Via non-public telephone or radio from fire,
  police

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• DISPATCH
• Alert personnel and direct to scene
• Radio paging, telephone, radio voice
  communications

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN DISPATCH AND EMS UNIT
• En route
• On-scene
• Departure from scene
• Arrival at receiving facility
• In-service

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN DISPATCH AND EMS UNIT
  (Cont.)
• Assistance with mechanical or navigational
  problem
• Immediate assistance or information from police,
  fire, or highway department
• General coordination of units

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN EMS UNIT AND
  HOSPITAL/PHYSICIAN
• Early alert of hospital to incoming patients
• On-line medical direction
• Diversion to specialized health care facilities

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN HOSPITALS
• Direct link for medical resources and patient
  transfers
• Back-up communications link

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• COMMUNICATIONS WITH SUPPORT AGENCIES
• Through dispatch centers
• Directly between field units

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PHASES IN EMS COMMUNICATIONS

• COORDINATION WITH OTHER COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
• Amateur radio
• Citizens band
• Commercial broadcast
• Business radio

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EMS Communications the FCC

• Control all radio communications
• Allocate specific radio frequencies for use by
  EMS providers
• License base stations and assign call signs

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EMS Communications the FCC

• Establish licensing standards and operating
  specifications
• Establish limits for transmitter power output
• Monitor radio operations

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EMS COMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS

• BASE STATION
• Transmitter/Receiver at fixed location
• Used for dispatch, coordination, medical control
• Geography/Terrain influence installation
• Power output is 42-275 watts
• Multi-channel bases can receive on all channels
  simultaneously but can transmit on only one
  channel at a time

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EMS COMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS

• MOBILE TRANSMITTER/RECEIVERS
• Physically mounted in vehicles
• Power output is 20-50 watts
• Range is 10-12 miles over average terrain
• decreases in mountainous areas, areas with large
  buildings
• increases on water or flat terrain
• All mobiles in local system have multiple channel
  capacity

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EMS COMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS

• PORTABLE TRANSMITTER/RECEIVERS
• Hand-held - walkie-talkie
• Range limited by low output power
• May be single or multi-channel
• May be designed to retransmit through mobile unit
  to increase range
• Best signal quality - antenna perpendicular

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EMS COMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS

• REPEATERS
• Extend range of mobile and portable units
• Receive signal on one frequency and retransmit it
  on second frequency at higher power
• May be fixed or mobile

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EMS COMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS

• SATELLITE RECEIVERS
• Additional receivers located about area of
  desired radio coverage to insure low power
  mobiles and portables are always in range
• Connected to base station or repeater by
  telephone lines or microwave relay

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EMS COMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS

• REMOTE CONSOLES
• Control console and microphone connected to base
  station by telephone lines, microwave, radio
• Allows remote locations such as hospitals to use
  base station
• ENCODERS/DECODERS

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TRANSMITTING INFORMATION

• Have all information you need to report available
  BEFORE you start talking
• Report the status of the ABCs, the chief
  complaint, and the vital signs EARLY
• Do Not Diagnose Describe the patients problem

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TRANSMITTING INFORMATION

• Use standard medical terminology
• If you dont know the word, use plain English
• Repeat all orders
• if you are uncertain about what the physician
  said or you think an order is incorrect, ask
  him/her to repeat the order

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TRANSMITTING INFORMATION

• Avoid on-going transmissions
• Stop talking every minute and assure that the
  receiving station has copied
• Use a standard format for reporting patient
  information report the same way, every time

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TRANSMITTING INFORMATION

• If a standard format is not used .
• all the essential information is not provided
• time is wasted
• patient care is delayed while the hospital
  attempts to get needed information
• frustration will result

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TRANSMITTING INFORMATION

• The better the picture you can paint for the
  receiving personnel, the better prepared they
  will be to receive your patient
• REMEMBER Your job is to communicate, not to show
  off!

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PRESENTING INFORMATION

• IDENTIFY YOURSELF
• Identify service, unit number, personnel I.D.
  number
• IDENTIFY PATIENT
• Age, sex, and weight (no names)

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PRESENTING INFORMATION

• IDENTIFY SITUATION
• Causes
• Mechanism of Injury
• IDENTIFY CHIEF COMPLAINT/INJURIES
• An elaboration of the chief complaint

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PRESENTING INFORMATION

• PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
• Pulse
• Respirations
• Blood Pressure
• Pupils
• Skin
• Neurological Condition
• Vascular Signs
• Pertinent findings in order from head to toe

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PRESENTING INFORMATION

• PAST Medical History
• Pertinent medical history
• Allergies
• Medications
• PROTOCOL TREATMENT
• Treatment given prior to transmission
• Confirmation of treatment ordered

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PRESENTING INFORMATION

• CHANGE IN PT. CONDITION
• PHYSICIAN
• DESTINATION
• Signal, code, ETA

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MULTIPLE PATIENTS

• Number each patient
• Present complete information on each patient
  before continuing to next
• Present most serious to least serious

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USING A TRANSMITTER/ RECEIVER

• Know what you are going to say before you start
  talking. Do not waste air time
• Never transmit without monitoring the frequency
  first
• Wait two seconds after keying the microphone
  before talking

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USING A TRANSMITTER/ RECEIVER

• Identify yourself on every transmission
• Speak at close range, directly into the
  microphone
• Do not yell, use normal conversational tone and
  speed

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USING A TRANSMITTER/ RECEIVER

• Articulate clearly
• Use proper English
• Avoid using codes

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USING A TRANSMITTER/ RECEIVER

• Be courteous
• Dont show emotion dont curse or use obscene
  language
• Do not vocalize pauses
• Do not unkey your microphone until you have
  finished talking

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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Make and keep eye contact
• Be Confident
• Confidence in yourself will inspire trust from
  the Pt.

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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Be Respectful
• Use proper names unless told otherwise
• Do not speak condescendingly
• Hon
• Darling
• Be conscious of cultural differences

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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Be Courteous
• Please
• Thank you
• Yes Maam/Sir
• No Maam/Sir
• Be Truthful

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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Use terms that the pt/Family will understand
• Be careful of what you say about the Pt and where
  you say it
• Be aware of your body language

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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Speak slowly/enunciate
• Allow time for the Pt to answer questions

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SPECIAL PATIENTS

• Non-English speaking
• Use Interpreter
• Do not attempt language if unsure
• Use Flash Cards

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SPECIAL PATIENTS

• Hearing Impaired
• Use Interpreter
• Face Pt. when speaking
• Allows them to see your lips
• Allows them to see your facial expression

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SPECIAL PATIENTS

• Children
• Get on their level
• Approach slowly
• Avoid threatening postures
• Explain everything that you do

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SPECIAL PATIENTS

• Children
• Dont lie
• Respect a childs modesty
• Use parents to calm child (If parent is calm)
• Let Parent hold child if not contraindicated
• Allow child to keep familiar objects

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SPECIAL PATIENTS

• Elderly
• Use last names of older patients until told
  otherwise
• Dont use slang
• Dont assume senility/deafness/infirmities
• Be aware of cultural differences
• Dont rush Pt
• Attend to family