EMS Standards

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) standards are part of a broader set of Emergency Health Services standards comprising emergency departments, trauma and emergency medical services. They were developed in response to an expressed need by health organizations to assess themselves against a national set of standards.

EMS standards are intended for ambulance services (public and private), medical transport (emergent and non-emergent), and communication services (emergency call taking and ambulance dispatch). They cover pre-hospital emergency health services, community paramedicine and patient transport.

The EMS standards contain the following subsections:

• Increasing community awareness and establishing strong partnerships
• Building a high performing Emergency Medical Services team
• Preventing infection and minimizing exposure to hazards
• Safely operating EMS vehicles and equipment
• Providing high quality Emergency Medical Services
• Maintaining user-friendly and effective clinical information systems
• Monitoring quality and achieving positive outcomes.