| A | B |
|---|
| advanced life support (ALS) | Advanced lifesaving procedures, some of which are now being provided by the EMT-B. |
| Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) | Comprehensive legislation that is designed to protect individuals with disabilities against discrimination |
| automated external defibrillator (AED) | A device that detects treatable life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia) and delivers the appropriate electrical shock to the patient. |
| continuous quality improvement (CQI) | A system of internal and external reviews and audits of all aspects of an EMS system. |
| Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) | A system that assists dispatchers in selecting appropriate units to respond to a particular call for assistance and in providing callers with vital instructions until the arrival of EMS crews. |
| emergency medical services (EMS) | A multidisciplinary system that represents the combined efforts of several professionals and agencies to provide prehospital emergency care to the sick and injured. |
| emergency medical technician (EMT) | A medical professional who is trained and certified/licensed by his or her state to provide emergency life support prior to or with more advanced medical providers. |
| EMT-Basic (EMT-B) | An EMT who has training in basic life support, including automated external defibrillation, use of a definitive airway adjunct, and assisting patients with certain medications. |
| EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) | An EMT who has training in specific aspects of advanced life support, such as IV (intravenous) therapy, interpretation of cardiac rhythms and defibrillation, and orotracheal intubation. |
| EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P) | An EMT who has extensive training in advanced life support, including IV (intravenous) therapy, pharmacology, cardiac monitoring, and other advanced assessment and treatment skills. |
| first responder | The first trained individual, such as a police officer, fire fighter, lifeguard, or other rescuer, to arrive at the scene of an emergency to provide initial medical assistance. |
| Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) | Federal legislation passed in 1996. Its main effect in EMS is in limiting availability of patients'' health care information and penalizing violations of patient privacy. |
| intravenous (IV) therapy | The delivery of medication directly into a vein. |
| medical control | Physician instructions that are given directly by radio or cell phone (online/direct) or indirectly by protocol/guidelines (off-line/indirect), as authorized by the medical director of the service program. |
| medical director | The physician who authorizes or delegates to the EMT the authority to provide medical care in the field. |
| primary service area (PSA) | The designated area in which the EMS service is responsible for the provision of prehospital emergency care and transportation to the hospital. |
| quality control | The responsibility of the medical director to ensure that the appropriate medical care standards are met by EMT-Bs on each call. |
