Ask the Medical Director

As EMS Medical Director, I welcome comments and concerns about EMS medical issues from interested prehospital personnel or the public in general. Your input helps improve our system.

Questions/Comments: jbarger@hsd.cccounty.us

Below I have listed a number of topics that I have been asked about in the past. Rather than share these with just an individual, I am posting these for all to review.

Why don't we use nasotracheal intubation in Contra Costa?

There simply are not enough patients with need for nasotracheal intubation to allow for adequate experience levels among paramedics, and no training devices that I feel are adequate to train paramedics in the absence of hands-on experience.

There is also no good mechanism to allow medics with experience in other counties or states to do this, yet not allow others to do it.

Can we streamline base contact for trauma calls?

Yes. We have developed a standardized trauma report format that will allow both field and base personnel to have an understanding of what is expected in a trauma report.
(copy of the trauma report format) (31k PDF, 2pp.)

[help with PDF files]