U.S. Department of Transportation printed on recycled paper

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

General Statement on the Role of EMS 

in Primary Injury Prevention

The sleeping giant of health care is awakening to its new role in

society. As we move from a system designed to care for illness

to one that emphasizes wellness, we change our measuring rod

of success. Injury prevention takes on a new and more

important dimension, not only for improving the health of the

nation, but also in the ability to truly control health care costs. Ricardo Martinez, MD

JAMA, 1994

TRAFFIC TECH

Technology Transfer Series

Number 128 June 1996

CONSENSUS REACHED IN THE ROLE OF EMS 

IN INJURY PREVENTION

In August 1995, a panel of experts in out-of-hospital and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health

emergency medical services (EMS) deliberated, modified, Resources and Services Administration jointly funded

and affirmed a statement on the role of EMS in primary this project. 

injury prevention. The Consensus The Consensus Statement consists of three major parts:

Statement reflects a shifting

emphasis from health care to

health with a focus on

wellness and prevention.

Primary injury prevention is

preventing injuries from

occurring in the first place. As

EMS adapts to this new

emphasis, the information

contained in the Consensus

Statement should guide its 

injury prevention efforts. 

The intent of this statement is to represent the consensus

of the EMS community on essential and desirable

activities for EMS in primary injury prevention. After

reviewing the literature, the project steering committee

drafted the statement. Then the draft was reviewed by

more than 100 members of the EMS community

including EMS administrators, individual EMS

professionals, physicians, nurses, and educators. The

consensus panel was composed of individuals

designated by 16 national organizations that represent

the EMS community or the injury prevention

community. Deliberations were open to the public and

observers were given the opportunity to comment on the

statement.

The purpose is to set a vision and provide guidance for

leaders in out-of-hospital emergency medical care. This

statement is not a curriculum but can serve as a guide

for educators developing curricula for EMS injury

prevention activities. The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA)

1. Principal points, 2. Role of

EMS in primary injury

prevention, and 

3. Creating a culture of health

promotion and safety. In

creating a culture promoting

health and safety there are

essential injury prevention

activities that 

must be undertaken by the

leaders, decision-makers,

and providers of every EMS system.

Protect individual EMS providers from injury

Provide education to EMS providers in the

fundamentals of primary injury prevention

Support collecting, reporting, and using injury

data

Obtain support and resources for primary injury

prevention activities

Network with other injury prevention

organizations

Empower individual EMS providers to conduct

primary injury prevention activities and

interventions in the local community

Interact with the media to promote injury

prevention

For a copy of the Consensus Statement on the Role of

Emergency Medical Services in Primary Injury

Prevention, write to the Office of Enforcement and

Emergency Services, NHTSA, NTS-42, 400 Seventh

Street, S.W., Washington, DC, 20590 or send a fax to

(202) 366-7721.
U.S. Department 

of Transportation

National Highway 

Traffic Safety 

Administration

400 Seventh Street, S.W. NTS-33

Washington, DC 20590

TRAFFIC TECH is a publication to disseminate 

information about traffic safety programs, 

including evaluations, innovative programs, 

and new publications. Feel free to copy it as you wish. 

If you would like to receive a copy contact:

Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D., Editor, Evaluation Staff

Traffic Safety Programs

(202) 366-2759, fax (202) 366-7096

E-MAIL: lcosgrove@nhtsa.dot.gov