The Role of Medical Direction in Systems of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Holbrook Hill Stoecklein; Scott T Youngquist

doi:10.1016/j.ccl.2018.03.008

The Role of Medical Direction in Systems of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Cardiol Clin. 2018 Aug;36(3):409-417. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2018.03.008.

Authors

Holbrook Hill Stoecklein¹, Scott T Youngquist²

Affiliations

¹ Salt Lake City Fire Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Utah, University of Utah School of Medicine, 30 North 1900 East, 1C026, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA. Electronic address: Hill.stoecklein@hsc.utah.edu.
² Salt Lake City Fire Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Utah, University of Utah School of Medicine, 30 North 1900 East, 1C026, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.

PMID: 30293607
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccl.2018.03.008

Abstract

Survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is, on average, approximately 10% but considerable variability exists among emergency medical services (EMS) systems across the United States. The medical director of an EMS system has considerable control and influence over outcomes in a system by developing evidence-based protocols and overseeing a robust system of quality assurance. A vision for system-level oversight of care that includes continuous data collection and assessment, personally delivered and constructive feedback to providers, and a constant drive for improvement can result in improvements in both processes and patient-centered outcomes.

Keywords: EMS; Medical direction; Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Quality assurance.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / methods*
Emergency Medical Services / organization & administration*
Humans
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / therapy*
Outcome Assessment, Health Care*
United States