Purpose
Emergency medical services exists to fulfill the basic principles of first aid, which are to Preserve Life, Prevent Further Injury, and Promote Recovery.
This common theme in medicine is demonstrated by the "star of life". The Star of Life shown here, where each of the 'arms' to the star represent one of the 6 points. These 6 points are used to represent the six stages of high quality pre-hospital care, which are:
- Early detection
- Members of the public, or another agency, find the incident and understand the problem
- Early reporting
- The first persons on scene make a call to the emergency medical services and provide details to enable a response to be mounted
- Early response
- The first professional (EMS) rescuers arrive on scene as quickly as possible, enabling care to begin
- Good on-scene care
- The emergency medical service provides appropriate and timely interventions to treat the patient at the scene of the incident
- Care in transit
- the emergency medical service load the patient in to suitable transport and continue to provide appropriate medical care throughout the journey
- Transfer to definitive care
- the patient is handed over to an appropriate care setting, such as the emergency department at a hospital, in to the care of physicians
Read more about this topic: Emergency Medical Services
Famous quotes containing the word purpose:
“The moment a mere numerical superiority by either states or voters in this country proceeds to ignore the needs and desires of the minority, and for their own selfish purpose or advancement, hamper or oppress that minority, or debar them in any way from equal privileges and equal rights—that moment will mark the failure of our constitutional system.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“Science and art, or by the same token, poetry and prose differ from one another like a journey and an excursion. The purpose of the journey is its goal, the purpose of an excursion is the process.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“God sent children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race—to enlarge our hears; and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections; to give our souls higher aims; to call out all our faculties to extended enterprise and exertion; and to bring round our firesides bright faces, happy smiles, and loving, tender hearts.”
—Mary Botham Howitt (20th century)