Medical Control
Quality Assurance in Prehospital Care
- Brian R. Holroyd, MD;
- Robert Knopp, MD;
- Gene Kallsen, MD
- From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Valley Medical Center (Drs Holroyd, Knopp, and Kallsen); University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Fresno-Central San Joaquin Valley Medical Education Program (Drs Holroyd, Knopp, and Kallsen); Central California Emergency Medical Services Agency (Dr Knopp); and Fresno County Emergency Medical Services Division (Dr Kallsen), Fresno, Calif.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
MEDICAL control is a system of physician-directed quality assurance that provides professional and public accountability for medical care provided in the prehospital setting. In an emergency medical services (EMS) system, medical control provides the operational framework and authorization for paramedics and other physician extenders to provide emergency treatment outside the hospital.11 Ultimate responsibility and authority for patient care remain with the physician.1-4 Medical control and quality assurance are viewed by some as bureaucratic restrictions required to appease governmental officials and the public. However, quality assurance should be developed through clear delegation of authority and responsibility for the specific components of medical control to appropriate individuals.
The National Research Councils' Subcommittee on Medical Control in EMS Systems defines three basic functions of medical control: (1) to ensure that field personnel have immediately available expert direction for emergency care, (2) to ensure continuing highquality field performance, and (3) to
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Department of Emergency Medicine, Valley Medical Center, 445 S Cedar Ave, Fresno, CA 93702 (Dr Holroyd).
