Emergency medical services act

Emergency Medical Services System Act of 1973 helped to establish national standards for emergency medical systems, with broad implications for education and public health. The Act follows a series of seminal events that drew attention to weaknesses in emergency response, including the lack of proper, regulated, or consistent training for personnel. Moreover, the Act helped to ensure that healthcare infrastructure would be modernized to minimize instances and costs related to accidental injury and death. The Act includes provisions for training in emergency medical services, offering funding and support for training programs that conform to a set of federal standards. Interestingly, Nixon had initially vetoed the Emergency Medical Services System Act, and it was subsequently reworded to omit mandate for a Public Health Service Hospital system — something Nixon believed was “unnecessary,” (Shah, 2006, p. 1). Passing the EMS Systems Act of 1973 meant that the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare would be singlehandedly responsible for coordinating all the provisions of the Act, including the collection of data and statistics, the organization and provision of funding for EMS programs, the development of evidence-based training programs, and the execution of emergency systems.
Prior to the Act, emergency responses were relatively haphazard. Training for personnel was inconsistent, varying according to common. Yet the need for standardized emergency response became increasingly apparent due to several factors including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and President Kennedy, and especially the proliferation of automobiles (Shah, 2006). With relative brevity, the Act outlines what an effective and federally-sponsored emergency system would entail, such as an “adequate number of health professionals,” and “appropriate training,” (Emergency Systems Act of 1973, p. 9). The central communications system was also an integral part of the Act, which established the universal “911” emergency number that would help coordinate emergency responses. The Act acknowledges that emergency response depends on a large and diverse set of responders, often from different geographic locations or different service sectors including vehicles like ambulances and healthcare institutions like hospitals with specialized equipment.
Several elements of the EMS Systems Act of 1973 apply specifically to EMS education. For example, even vehicle operators are covered under the act to ensure that ambulance drivers and other support personnel are properly trained in how to address the critical needs of the situation. The Act specifies “continuing education programs” that are coordinated with federal standards (p. 9). Similarly, the Act encourages the recruitment of military personnel for such continuing education programs. Moreover, public education is a core component of the EMS Systems Act of 1973. Public education entails not only “general dissemination of information” but also publically available first aid training (EMS Systems Act of 1973, p. 11). The Act designates the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as the parent organization, underscoring the importance of emergency systems to public health and education in particular. Section 776 of the Act allows for the government to enter into contract with schools of all medical health professions, to assist with the funding of EMS-specific programs.
Since 1973, EMS systems have evolved into a complex set of systems and services. The Act itself has changed little, even though the specific details of service coordination and EMS education might have changed to suit the current trends in healthcare delivery. The 1973 Act transformed the nature of public health education and EMS education, improving the functionality and effectiveness of emergency response by ensuring a national set of evidence-based standards.
References
EMS Systems Act of 1973. Public Law 93-154
Shah, M.N. (2006). The formation of the Emergency Medical Services System. American Journal of Public Health 96(3): 414-423.