Documenting stroke assessment, 12-lead EKG, and aspirin administration highlight areas for improvement.
AUSTIN, Texas —ESO Solutions, Inc., the leading data and software company serving emergency medical services (EMS), hospitals and fire departments, today announced the findings of its inaugural report, the 2018 ESO EMS Index. The Index tracks performance of EMS agencies nationwide across five metrics: Stroke assessment and documentation, overdose events, end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring, 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) use and aspirin administration for chest pain. Data used for the Index are from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.
“There are changes on the horizon for EMS agencies across the country,” said Dr. Brent Myers, Chief Medical Officer for ESO. “In particular, we are seeing new data and research emerge around the increased importance of stroke assessment and documentation that could improve patient outcomes. Additionally, the opioid crisis continues to be an issue that will have an effect on EMS providers. This newly launched Index is part of our ongoing commitment to the smart use of data to help agencies across the country assess their performance across a handful of metrics.”
Key Findings Include:
- In only 50 percent of situations was a complete stroke assessment documented for a primary impression of stroke. The data show that EMS providers are not completing the entire stroke assessment or failing to document the assessment after a primary impression of stroke is identified.
- Overdose encounters outpaced cases where stroke was the primary impression. There were nearly 12 percent more overdose cases reported in 2017 than strokes, aligning with much of what paramedics are reporting the last few years.
- More men than women overdosed: Men accounted for 28 percent more overdose encounters than women.
- EMS providers recognize the value of end-tidal CO2 monitoring after advanced airway placement. In 94.5 percent of cases, ETCO2 monitoring was initiated after advanced airway insertion.
- Aspirin administration is hit or miss. Just more than half (55.3 percent) of the reported cases of non-traumatic chest pain patients over the age of 35 had appropriately documented administration of aspirin for chest pain.
The full Index can be downloaded at: www.esosolutions.com/index.
About the Index
The dataset for the ESO EMS Index is real-world data, compiled and aggregated from more than 1,000 agencies across the United States that use ESO’s products and services. These data are based on 5.02 million patient encounters between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017, representing a full calendar year.
About ESO Solutions
ESO Solutions, Inc., is dedicated to improving community health and safety through the power of data. Since its founding in 2004, the company has been a pioneer in electronic patient care records (ePCR) software for emergency medical services, fire departments and ambulance services. Today, ESO serves more than 13,000 agencies throughout the U.S. The company’s healthcare, public safety and technology experts deliver the most innovative software and data solutions on the market, including the industry-leading ESO Electronic Health Record (EHR); ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE), the first-of-its-kind healthcare interoperability platform; record management system (RMS) for fire departments; and ambulance revenue recovery/billing software. ESO is also playing a leading role in helping EMS provider organizations across the nation successfully transition to NEMSIS Version 3 and new state standards for electronic patient care reporting.
ESO is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.esosolutions.com.