EMS & Public
Health:
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Introduction
The Medicine and Public Health Initiative Mutual Commitment Anticipated Benefits How Will Integration Help EMS With Its Mission? How Will Integration Help Public Health Fulfill Its Mission? |
Challenges to IntegrationWhile convinced of the far-ranging benefits of integration, roundtable participants acknowledged that there will be challenges to achieving widespread collaboration of EMS and public health. The group characterized these barriers as follows: Potential for new roles - a greater collaboration between EMS and public health may significantly change existing health care roles and responsibilities and could result in resistance from those who perceive a threat to their job or security. Traditional roles & cultures - overcoming traditions and long-held perceptions may be difficult, especially considering the vast differences in professional environments between EMS and public health providers. Traditional performance measures - combining professions may mean combining very different performance measures and benchmarks, population-based for public health and response-based for EMS. Limited funds - scarce resources for traditional core services for both EMS and public health may limit interest or ability to adopt roles which are viewed as expanded scope.
EMS Industry Turmoil - with the rate of change brought on by managed care and the new HCFA reimbursement policies, EMS agencies may not be able to devote attention to new ideas. Lack of Cross Training - EMS personnel receive little education concerning the theories or practice of public health - and vice versa - so a collaboration will require a period of learning. Legislative Support - state or local statutes and regulations may prevent an effective integration of EMS and public health, such as those that would prevent EMS personnel from administering vaccinations or limit EMS reimbursement to patient transport. Communication - EMS and public health have few established mechanisms to share information or ideas, such as common forums and organizations, data systems, or operational protocols that bring the two groups togther. Range of Community Needs - the specific nature of a local EMS and public health collaboration will likely be shaped by community needs, complicating efforts to produce models for integration.
Awareness of the Need for Collaboration - to date, there has been little call for collaboration of EMS and public health from within either profession or from the community. |
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