Emergency Care, 14e (Limmer/O'Keefe/Dickinson) Chapter ss ss ss ss
1 Introduction to Emergency Medical Services
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1) Which of the following refers to a program or process for evaluating and improving
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ss the effectiveness of an EMS system?
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A) Quality improvement ss
B) System effectiveness management ss ss
C) Process Improvement Plan (PIP) ss ss ss
D) Total quality system ss ss
ss Answer: A ss
Explanation: A) CORRECT. Quality improvement (QI) consists of continuous self-review with
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ss the purpose of identifying aspects of the EMS system that require improvement, with
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ss subsequent action plans to make necessary changes. ss ss ss ss ss ss
B) INCORRECT. System effectiveness management does not refer to a program of evaluating
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ss and improving an EMS system.
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C) INCORRECT. A program or process for evaluating and improving the effectiveness of an
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ss EMS system is not referred to as a Process Improvement Program.
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D) INCORRECT. The term "total quality system" does not refer to a program for improving the
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ss effectiveness of EMS systems. ss ss ss
Page Ref: 13 ss ss
Objective: 1.2 s s
2) Which of the following groups is credited with developing the earliest documented
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ss emergency medical service? ss ss
A) The Spanish ss
B) The Egyptians ss
C) The Mayans ss
D) The French ss
ss Answer: D ss
Explanation: A) INCORRECT. The Spanish did not develop the first documented emergency
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ss medical service; the French did in the 1700s.
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,B) INCORRECT. Although known for progress in technical areas, the Egyptians were not
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ss responsible for the first documented emergency medical service. In 1790, the French first
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began transporting wounded soldiers away from battlefields and to waiting medical care.
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C) INCORRECT. The earliest documented emergency medical service was in France in 1790,
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ss nearly a thousand years after the Mayan civilization disappeared.
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D) CORRECT. The earliest documented emergency medical service was in 1790 when the
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ss French began transporting wounded soldiers from the scenes of battle to waiting
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physicians. Page Ref: 3
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Objective: 1.1 s s
, 3) In 1966 the National Highway Safety Act charged which of the following agencies with the
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ss development of emergency medical service standards? ss ss ss ss ss
A) U.S. Department of Transportation
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B) U.S. Department of the Interior
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C) U.S. Department of Health Services
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D) U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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ss Answer: A ss
Explanation: A) CORRECT. In 1966 the National Highway Safety Act charged the United States
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Department of Transportation (DOT) with developing EMS standards and assisting the states to
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ss upgrade the quality of their prehospital emergency care.
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B) INCORRECT. The U.S. Department of the Interior is charged with the management and
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ss conservation of federal land and the country's natural resources. The Department of
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ss Transportation was charged with developing EMS standards. ss ss ss ss ss ss
C) INCORRECT. Although the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is charged with
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ss protecting the health of all Americans, the United States Department of Transportation was
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ss assigned the task of developing emergency medical service standards.
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D) INCORRECT. Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is tasked with protecting
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ss the nation from threats, it was established in 2002 and did not exist in 1966. It was the U.S.
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ss Department of Transportation that was charged with developing EMS standards.
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Page Ref: 4 ss ss
Objective: 1.1 s s
4) Centralized coordination of emergency medical access, transportation, and care most refers
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to which of the following?
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A) Emergency preparedness plan ss ss
B) Trauma system ss
C) Resource management ss
D) Central deployment ss
ss Answer: C ss
Explanation: A) INCORRECT. Emergency preparedness plans are usually developed to guide
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ss the actions of a specific group of people at the outset of an emergency, with the goal of
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ss protecting people and/or property. They generally will not address the specifics of medical
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