Читать книгу Emergency Medical Services - Группа авторов - Страница 26

Before 1973, there were few communication systems available for emergency medical care. Only 1 in 20 ambulances had voice communications with a hospital, a universal emergency telephone number was not yet operational nationally, and telephones were not available on highways and rural roads. Centralized dispatch was uncommon and there were problems in communications because of community resistance, cost, and insufficient and variable technology. With DOT funding, major steps were taken toward overcoming these communication problems. National conferences, seminars, and public awareness programs advocated diverse methodologies for EMS communication systems. A communications manual published in 1972 provided technical systems information [43]. Although the first 9‐1‐1 call was placed in 1968, it was not until 1973 that the 9‐1‐1 universal emergency number was advocated as a national standard by DOT and the White House Office of Telecommunications. The Federal Communications Commission established rules and regulations for EMS communication and dedicated a limited number of radio frequencies for emergency systems. In 1977, DHEW issued guidelines for a model EMS communications plan [44].

EMS medical directors gradually began to appreciate the importance of more structured call receiving, patient prioritizing, and vehicle dispatching. Physicians were forced to look seriously at EMS operational issues that had previously been seen as neither critical nor medical [45]. Formalized emergency medical dispatch program development began in the mid‐late 1970s. On the other hand, telemetry as it had been pioneered by Gene Nagel in Florida was generally seen to be impractical, expensive, and unnecessary, and essentially disappeared over time.