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
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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
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Amateur radio
Citizen’s 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
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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 ABC’s, the chief
complaint, and the vital signs EARLY
• Do Not Diagnose; Describe the patient’s
problem
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TRANSMITTING
INFORMATION
• Use standard medical terminology
– If you don’t 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
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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
• Don’t show emotion; don’t 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
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Please
Thank you
Yes Ma’am/Sir
No Ma’am/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
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Get on their “level”
Approach slowly
Avoid threatening postures
Explain everything that you do
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SPECIAL PATIENTS
• Children
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Don’t lie
Respect a child’s 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
– Don’t use slang
– Don’t assume senility/deafness/infirmities
– Be aware of cultural differences
– Don’t rush Pt
– Attend to family
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