Emergency early responders and EMS transition in Saudi Arabia: proposed model for system improvement

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are not thought of as unavoidable random occurrences or “accidents” anymore. Public health practitioners deem RTAs preventable and predictable since they are usually caused by avoidable and anticipated human behaviors. Although prevention of automobile crashes showed huge success in road traffic injury control history, RTAs are still considered a major public health concern globally. In Saudi Arabia, injury is the leading cause of mortality. The number of registered vehicles is continuously expanding all over the world and in Saudi Arabia. The rise in demand for emergency medical services (EMS) in Saudi Arabia is associated with increasing number of RTAs. This escalation of RTAs is of profound public health significance and has been considered by the Saudi government, but little improvement was made. EMS in Saudi Arabia faces a number of issues. One issue is the lack of effective trauma systems. Trauma is the number one killer in Saudi Arabia, yet the country lacks sufficient trauma centers. One significant component of trauma system is pre-hospital care, where first responders drive to the scene, assess patients, and transport them to the hospital emergency department (ED). Since EMS is a timely service that requires prompt response, the handover of patients from paramedics to ED clinicians is very critical and requires a lot of attention. In Saudi Arabia, the EMS response time is affected by a number of factors including the lack of sufficient communication at both ends (EMS, and hospital staff), clear guidance, standardized protocols, and regulations. Patient handover is considered a “high-risk” process, and is associated with serious adverse events. Therefore, good communication between ambulance staff and ED clinicians is required. In this paper, I will discuss patient handover models and compare them to the model used in Saudi Arabian EDs, in order to design and recommend a patient transition model that improves the EMS process in Saudi Arabia