EMS A-Z Series by Jim Hoffman, Paramedic

Jim Hoffman covers a wide range of  EMS topics in his column EMS from A - Z.  About the columnist: Jim Hoffman, Paramedic, is a contributor to EMS Solutions.  EMS Solutions sells low cost online EMS and fire training resources, pocket field guides, customized guides and more.

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Think about it, just about everything we do involves some type of time related measurement or time stamp.

. Pulse measurement
. Respirations per minute
. Drug calculations
. Drug administration periods (i.e. every 3-5 minutes)
. CPR - Breaths and compressions given
. EKG - Six second strips and even those little boxes.

Plus how about the time stamps we all have to document?

. Response times
. Arrival Times
. Time spent with patients on scene
. Time of different treatments

The list of these various time issues can go on and I am sure even I can't
list them all in one short article.

When you begin to realize how important all these times are, you may find
yourself paying closer attention to timelines. It will begin to matter when
you documented you intubated a patient or when you gave a drug. Things like
noting times of vitals signs taken and their relationship to drugs or other
treatment given can really matter.

As EMS providers in the field, we must take the time to treat our patients
properly. Not rushing through a set of vitals or haphazardly giving drugs
just to get through an algorhythm.

All these times and measurements have been created and utilized for the
simple reason of that they work. Yes figuring drip rates or counting a full
sixty seconds for an unusual pulse rate may not be all that glamorous, but
they are necessary. Like so many other aspects of being an EMS professional.
Glamour is not why we do what we do.

Besides the patient care aspect of time measurements, there is also the
documentation end of it as well. Properly documenting the correct times and
ensuring that they correlate to care and treatment is vital not only from a
legal standpoint for obvious reasons, but also from a continuum of care
view.

It is important that proper times regarding drug use, times given, time with
patient etc. are all transferred to the Emergency Department. This can many
times help them continue your efforts without repeating treatment already
given that can may be futile or even harmful to your patient.

Luckily, many EMS systems are implementing pen based charting or some other type of computerized documentation. Most new products coming into the market nowadays are also designed to time stamp usage and readings. Making it easier to recall actual treatments given and allow you to document much more efficiently.

Time is a factor that runs through everything EMS. Perhaps none more vital
than arriving to the emergency and putting into motion all your training,
skills and education that you took so much time to achieve. Time that a
patient or family cannot understand nor should they.

It's up to you to know how to apply it when that old second hand comes into
play.