We have witnessed another year with remarkable evolutions in emergency medical services (EMS) while struggling with multiple challenges. Progress has made great strides, including the integration of cutting-edge technology, the expansion of community paramedicine programs and the expansion of blood programs.
However, systems and individuals continue to face staffing shortages and burnout while struggling with inadequate reimbursement for the expanded services being provided. EMS aims to improve patient care in prehospital settings and ultimately impact outcomes; its role in healthcare, in general, has never been seen as more impactful.
Technological advances such as improved medical devices and the surge in what is now known as wearable medical devices have the individual and the medical community looking at how best to care for patient conditions differently than in years past.
Coupled with the surge in AI, the impact on diagnosing and treating various conditions has never been more advanced to technology-based. The sheer amount of data these emerging technologies provide trends and insights never seen before in healthcare.
Telemedicine continues to gain significant momentum; following the reliance on video appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public desire for the convenience of not traveling to appointments has opened the possibilities for expansion of this type of consultation.
While EMS needed to be improved in this area, to begin with, concerted efforts have been made to take advantage of emerging technologies to enable prehospital providers to consult with in-hospital specialists to improve diagnosis, care and accurate transport to facilities to improve overall outcomes.
Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine (MIH/CP) programs continue developing and adopting as the benefits are seen far and wide. This healthcare method relies heavily on evolving technology, and the early success of these programs has shown the healthcare community what is possible.
The collaboration of multiple disciplines to bring healthcare out into the community has never been more prevalent, and it shows how a proactive approach to healthcare generally reduces typical 911 loads, improves patient outcomes, and reduces community disparities, all while lowering healthcare costs.
By building upon these new collaborations, issues such as mental health and substance use disorders are being viewed and handled in a much different way than ever before.
Social workers, mental health professionals, caseworkers out in the field with EMS, new protocols, procedures and medications, and direct transport to specific care facilities show the benefits across all areas.
This year has been the same in terms of the need for increased disaster preparedness and improved response. While continuing to pose a real threat to our communities’ health and well-being, the frequency of large-scale events and resulting damage continues to weigh heavily on those in need and the responders called upon.
Leveraging technology to assist with these emergencies and the newfound collaborations with other agencies will undoubtedly be impacted by such events and will be paramount to future success.
EMS providers’ well-being has remained a top priority in 2024 and has garnered considerable attention. The demanding nature of the job was always known to an extent, but the degree of physical and emotional toll is now receiving more attention.
With this renewed focus, programs and services that promote improved working environments and wellness initiatives are being implemented across many services.
Of course, given the breakthroughs EMS has experienced, we can not adequately reflect on the year without addressing some of prehospital medicine’s continued struggles. The two major issues have a historical presence in prehospital medicine, and there are no easy solutions in the near future.
Workforce staffing in general and reimbursement issues have no easy or quick solutions to fix the trend. However, as demands and workloads increase, these issues will continue to be a driving force in our capabilities.
Without the willingness to be open to new technology, services and systems never before considered EMS or the standard 911 system, will continue to struggle. A new way of thinking and a reimagined prehospital medical focus is needed and while historically the focus has been on the care delivered, such as the surge in blood programs, the need for a renewed focus on the system as a whole in not only implementation but in design and mission as well.
This includes the education of providers that truly matches the new direction and a better understanding of the workforce needed to meet our goals.
As we prepare to close out another year, reflecting on the positive things we have accomplished and the struggles we faced. Some of these challenges have been newly thrust upon EMS, and some are historical issues that we have yet to solve, but the future is bright.
While as promising as 2025 looks, our future will be one that will need the continued hard work, dedication, and vigilance of our EMS providers to support our communities best.
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