Description
Ambulance services in Tennessee respond every year to over 1 million 911 calls. The EMS Star of Life Awards Program honors the dedication of those who provide day-to-day lifesaving services on the medical "front line" in Tennessee. The program presents actual patient scenarios and reunites the EMS caregivers with the individuals they treated from the eight EMS regions across the state. This event promotes best practice delivery of emergency medicine. The criteria for the nominations are that the EMS provider must follow best practice protocol and the patient must be neurologically intact.
Budget
40,000
Category
Population Served
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Short Term Success
The quality of the Star of Life event is determined by number of award applicants, number of awardees and their family in attendance, ticket sales, press coverage, and feedback via phone or email.
Long term Success
Delivery of best practice medicine and improved documentation as demonstrated on EMS patient run reports.
Program Success Monitored By
Interviews were completed with the planning committee two days after the event to solicit their opinion of the event and areas for enhancement and retooling.
Examples of Program Success
The purpose of the Star of Life is to reinforce best practice for emergency medical services providers (EMT, EMT-P). The patient scenario is read to the audience with specific best practices highlighted. The Star of Life program provides the opportunity to highlight best practice scenarios to the EMS professionals in attendance.
One of the eight examples was a two year old toddler that had fallen into a septic tank. The child required CPR and the use of a special measuring tape to determine the size of equipment needed for this child and the dosage for the medications. The best practice of care was delivered to this child including a special IV that had to be placed so that getting the right medicines and dosage, could be possible. The utilization of this tape measure and the subsequent care provided was highlighted at the event.
Description
The Annual Update in Acute & Emergency Care Pediatrics Conference is sponsored by Tennessee Emergency Medical Services for Children Foundation and the four Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Centers (CRPCs) across Tennessee. The mission of the conference is to promote pediatric emergency care to physicians, nurses, emergency medical services, and the community through outreach. This conference, routinely attended by more than 200 healthcare providers, is the only conference of its kind in the state of Tennessee. It brings together physicians, nurses, pre-hospital providers, and administrative decision makers from across the state to focus on acute and emergency care needs of children. Evaluation of our conference is measured through a number of tracking methods including: demographic information, attendee program evaluations, and speaker evaluations. 90% of participants will report increased learning from each workshop.
Category
Population Served
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Long term Success
More highly educated, supported, and committed healthcare providers meeting the acute and emergency needs of children with best practice medicine.
Program Success Monitored By
Hospital discharge data is reviewed to determine if transfer of acutely ill and injured children is being completed.
Examples of Program Success
2008 Attendees stated: “the simulation lab increased my confidence to handle true emergencies."
"I was always taught to push fluids for sickle cell anemia – discovered that this could have adverse outcomes.”
“ Great visuals and excellent presentation! Lots of new info. Gave me new tools for both assessment & treatment.”
Description
The majority of care delivered by emergency departments and ambulances are to adults. Medical care for children requires special training and equipment. Emergency care providers need to be aware of and trained on these differences.
Budget
1500
Category
Health Care Ambulatory & Primary Health Care
Population Served
Infants/Babies (under age 5), Children Only (5 - 14 years),
Long term Success
The long term success of completing mock codes is that the care given to a child will fit each individual child’s size, medical needs, and level of developmental growth.
Program Success Monitored By
Program success will be monitored by evaluation forms and the score card of each mock code visit.
Examples of Program Success
Initially at one hospital, the emergency department team took greater than 30 minutes to find the equipment to administer oxygen to a child manikin. Currently, when the mock code team arrives unannounced, the emergency department delivers timely best practice care.
At a rural hospital facility the emergency department staff did not know what to do with the child manikin. Once a room was found, the emergency equipment cart was brought to the room but did not have a heart monitor. The only heart monitor in the emergency department was being used on another patient. Following this mock code visit, the emergency department developed a contingency plan and purchased another heart monitor.
When mock codes first began in non children’s hospital emergency departments across the state, the child manikin was taken from the parent into an examination room and the parent was left in the waiting room. Parents are now viewed as a partner in the health care team and kept informed about the condition of the child.
Description
Our policy team works on legislation in areas such as injury prevention, children’s healthcare, and securing funding to meet the trauma and emergency system needs of acutely ill and children.
Budget
5000
Category
Human Services Human Services, General/Other
Population Served
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.), Adults,
Short Term Success
Short term success is measured by the number of TN EMSC members that contact their legislator regarding issues pertaining to emergency medical services for children.
Long term Success
Maintaining or enhancing public policy issues to keep children safe and healthy.
Program Success Monitored By
Many national organizations post state by state report cards on many public policy issues that directly affect children. These report cards are reviewed annually to determine the course of action for the upcoming legislative session.
Examples of Program Success
TN EMSC was influential in the successful passage of the comprehensive revision to the child passenger safety law in Tennessee which raised the report card grade published by SafeKids Worldwide from a D to an A.
Initial state legislation did not include trauma funding for the comprehensive regional pediatric centers in Tennessee. TN EMSC worked to include language in the legislation that secured trauma funding for the children’s hospitals.
TN EMSC was a key partner with AAA of Tennessee is working to ban text messaging while driving. This legislation successfully passed on its first attempt in the TN legislature in 2009.
Description
The TN EMSC website (
www.tnemsc.org) has free on-line courses for the public as well as health care providers regarding pediatric disaster preparedness and care.
Budget
20000
Category
Population Served
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