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(Stroke. 2007;38:3097.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

AHA/ASA Policy Statement

Implementation Strategies for Emergency Medical Services Within Stroke Systems of Care

A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association Expert Panel on Emergency Medical Services Systems and the Stroke Council

Joe E. Acker, III, EMT-P, MPH, MS; Arthur M. Pancioli, MD, FAHA; Todd J. Crocco, MD; Marc K. Eckstein, MD; Edward C. Jauch, MD, MS; Hollynn Larrabee, MD; Neil M. Meltzer, MPH; William C. Mergendahl, JD, EMT-P; John W. Munn, PhD; Susanne M. Prentiss; Charles Sand, MD, FAHA; Jeffrey L. Saver, MD, FAHA; Brian Eigel, PhD; Brian R. Gilpin, MS; Mark Schoeberl; Penelope Solis, JD; JoAnne R. Bailey, MSPH; Katie B. Horton, RN, MPH, JD Steven K. Stranne, MD, JD

From the Stroke Clinical Research Unit, Department of Neurology (B.W, M.L, S.Z), and the Key Laboratory of Human Disease Biotherapy of the State and Ministry of Education (M.L), West China Hospital, Sichuan University.

Correspondence to Prof Ming Liu, Stroke Clinical Research Unit, Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, P.R. China. E-mail wyplmh@hotmail.com

Key Words: AHA Scientific Statements • emergency medical services • stroke

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Stroke remains the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability among Americans, despite advances in stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Approximately 700 000 individuals suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.¹ Advances over the past decade in acute stroke care, including the introduction of fibrinolytic and other short-term therapies, have highlighted the critical roles of emergency medical services (EMS) agencies and emergency medical services systems (EMSS) in optimizing stroke care.^2–7

In this context, the term "EMS" refers to the full scope of prehospital services necessary for the acute care of patients with stroke, including 9-1-1 activation and dispatch, emergency medical response, triage and stabilization in the field, and transport by ground or air ambulance to a hospital or between facilities.

The term "EMSS" refers to the delivery systems for EMS that may be organized on a local, regional, statewide, or nationwide basis.⁸ EMSS involves the organization of public and private resources for the delivery of emergency medical care. These systems include the community, emergency medical and healthcare personnel, public safety agencies, emergency facilities, and critical care units. The dissemination of public information and education, provision of professional training, and development of disaster planning and standardized record keeping also are key elements of EMSS. Additionally, EMSS must address issues related to communication, transportation, access to care, patient transfer, mutual aid (the sharing of resources across EMSS), and system review and evaluation.⁹ The successful integration of one (and often multiple) EMSS is critical to ensuring . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Find additional patient-related information at:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3052301

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