EMS research has grown rapidly, but finding the studies that truly matter to everyday clinical practice remains a challenge. In this edition of EMS One-Stop, Rob Lawrence is joined by Dr. Christopher Richards, EMS and emergency physician at the University of Cincinnati; and Dr. Christian Martin-Gill, chief of the Division of EMS at the University of Pittsburgh and former president of the Prehospital Guidelines Consortium, to discuss the recently published EMS research reading list and the effort to identify the most important evidence EMS clinicians and medical directors should know about.
The discussion explores how the reading list was created; why a significant gap remains between publication and implementation; and how EMS can better translate research into education, protocols and patient care.
Richards and Martin-Gill explain the mix of evidence-based guidelines, position statements, systematic reviews and original research included in the project, while highlighting major gaps in behavioral emergencies, pediatrics, obstetrics, workforce wellness and EMS operations.
The message is clear: EMS practitioners should not wait for new research to appear in their protocols. They should read it, discuss it, question current practice and, where evidence is lacking, consider contributing to research that closes the gap.
Additional resources:
- Richards CT, Cash RE, Crowe RP, et al. 2026. “Developing an emergency medical services research reading list for emergency medical services practitioners.” Prehospital Emergency Care, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2026.2693158
- EMS1 Research Center. A central access point for critical research that can help drive operational and policy changes
- Understanding research and its impact on patient care. David Page, MS; Hezedean Smith, DM; and Ayanna Walker, MD, share best practices for evaluating and interpreting prehospital research
Key quotes
- “With EMS research, there’s always something missing. There’s always more that we can do.” — Dr. Christian Martin-Gill
- “What we’re seeing here, particularly over the last decade, is these organizations working less as silos and moving more towards working together when it makes sense to do that.” — Dr. Christian Martin-Gill
- “We didn’t go in actually feeling like we needed to identify 10 primary research or professional statements that complemented the guidelines that were already identified through the systematic review. But there was just a natural break point there.” — Dr. Christopher Richards
- “There are a number of position statements that are published by national and international organizations that are key scientific literature out there that people need to be paying attention to.” — Dr. Christian Martin-Gill
- “Still there is research lacking in what the EMS clinicians themselves experience as part of the workforce — safety on scene, wellness, these sort of questions.” — Dr. Christopher Richards
- “The behavioral emergency space I think is really important right now.” — Dr. Christian Martin-Gill
Episode timeline
- 01:09 – Rob introduces the episode and welcomes Drs. Christopher Richards and Christian Martin-Gill
- 02:16 – Dr. Richards introduces his EMS, emergency medicine and research background
- 03:18 – Dr. Martin-Gill discusses his role at the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC and the Prehospital Guidelines Consortium
- 04:15 – Why does EMS need a dedicated research reading list?
- 07:11 – Where can EMS practitioners currently go to identify the research that really matters?
- 09:13 – Moving research into protocols, practice and clinical care
- 11:15 – Can the Prehospital Guidelines Consortium help align the many organizations producing EMS clinical guidance?
- 13:41 – Breaking down the different categories of publications on the reading list
- 14:47 – Evidence-based guidelines included in the broader reading list
- 15:49 – Position statements covering hemorrhage, restraint, air medical utilization and workforce issues
- 16:26 – Systematic reviews addressing airway management and prehospital evidence-based guidelines
- 16:51 – Four original research papers, including refractory VF, pain disparities, evidence integration and midazolam use
- 18:58 – How the research reading list was actually developed
- 19:32 – The open call for EMS research submissions
- 20:10 – The project is ongoing, with submissions continuing for the next iteration
- 20:42 – Expert panel review, scoring and the natural cutoff that produced the final 10
- 23:18 – What important EMS research is still missing?
- 24:37 – Gaps in airway, pediatric and behavioral emergency evidence
- 26:08 – Dr. Richards highlights workforce, safety, wellness and operational research gaps
- 28:18 – Which areas should future EMS researchers investigate?
- 28:31 – Martin-Gill highlights behavioral, obstetric and pediatric emergencies as priorities
- 30:12 – Richards explains how everyday frustrations in EMS can become important research questions
- 32:12 – Final thoughts on the paper and the breadth of the reading list
- 33:37 – Martin-Gill discusses access to research and why highlighting important publications matters
- 35:05 – Turning reading into discussion, protocol review and further research
- 35:58 – Rob closes with a challenge to read, question, discuss and contribute to EMS research
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