Wyoming Administrative Code › Agency 048 - Health, Department of › Sub-Agency 0023 - Emergency Medical Services - General › Chapter 15 - ASSESSMENT, TRIAGE, TREATMENT AND TRANSPORT OF TIME SENSITIVE EMERGENCIES › Section 15-2 - Definitions

Current through July 13, 2024
(a) For the purposes of this chapter and
				enforcement of other rules in relation to this chapter, the following
				definitions shall apply:
(i) "Advanced Life
				Support personnel" or "ALS personnel" means EMS providers licensed to function
				with a scope of practice that exceeds that of an Advanced Emergency Medical
				Technician as defined in chapter 5 of these rules and functioning as a crew
				member assigned to an EMS agency that maintains the equipment and medications
				allowable to these scopes of practice.
(ii) "Acute stroke patient" means a patient
				who has been exhibiting the signs and symptoms of stroke for less than six (6)
				hours and is not hypoglycemic.
(iii) "Decisional boundary" means a
				geographical point at which the clinical benefits to the patient of transport
				to one facility outweigh the benefits of transport to another
				facility.
(iv) "Effective treatment
				window" means that period of time in which a patient may experience a better
				clinical outcome if they receive appropriate treatment. Effective treatment
				windows vary by treatment and pathophysiology.
(v) "Evidence-based prehospital care
				protocols" means those treatment modalities that reflect the most current and
				recommended standards of medical practice based on significant clinical
				evidence.
(vi) "EMS agency" means
				an EMS agency as defined in chapter 4 of these rules.
(vii) "Emergency medical service providers"
				or "EMS providers" means an employee of an EMS agency or a person acting as an
				agent or otherwise on behalf of an EMS agency.
(viii) "FAST" means the acronym developed by
				the American Stroke Association (ASA) for the rapid identification of an acute
				stroke patient and activation of the 911 system. FAST stands for: Facial droop;
				Arm droop; Slurred speech; and Time to call for help.
(ix) "High index of suspicion" means the
				provider has sufficient or significant cause to believe that the patient is or
				may soon be acutely ill or injured.
(x) "Index of suspicion" means the degree to
				which a healthcare provider suspects that a patient may be suffering from a
				particular illness or injury based on the provider's training and experience,
				the patient's clinical presentation of signs and symptoms, and the mechanism of
				injury if applicable.
(xi) "Local
				system design" means the interrelation of the structure, hierarchy, and
				relationship of all of the components of the comprehensive EMS and trauma
				system within a specific community. In well-designed local systems of care,
				hospitals, TSE facilities, EMS agencies, dispatch organizations, and other
				healthcare and public health providers work cooperatively to ensure that
				patients are receiving care that is based on current clinical evidence and
				recommended practice, and are transported to a facility best suited for
				providing optimal care in the shortest time possible.
(xii) "Operational procedures" means those
				policies and procedures adopted by an EMS agency under these rules that direct
				the administrative and operational practices affecting the decision making
				process of the individual.
(xiii)
				"Scene time" means that portion of time between when an ambulance arrives at
				the location of the patient and when the ambulance departs the scene.
(xiv) "Stroke Alert" means a notification
				given by EMS providers to a Stroke Center that will be receiving a patient that
				has a positive FAST assessment.
(xv) "System design" means the structure,
				hierarchy, and relationship of all of the components of the comprehensive EMS
				and trauma system.
(xvi) "Time
				sensitive emergency" or "TSE" means a condition for which there is substantial
				clinical evidence demonstrating that minimal time delays in the provision of
				correct treatment and transport to the most appropriate facility results in
				improved clinical outcomes. For the purposes of these rules time sensitive
				emergencies are limited to traumatic injuries, heart attacks, and
				strokes.
(xvii) "Trauma Center"
				means a hospital designated as a "Regional Trauma Center" under
Rules
				Wyoming Department of Health, Trauma Program,
Chapter 4 or a hospital
				verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I or Level II Trauma
				Center.
(xviii) "Triage" means the
				process of assessing a patient or patients to determine the priority of patient
				treatment or transport based on the severity of injury or illness. In the case
				of a single patient, triage is utilized to determine the need for transport to
				a TSE facility. In the case of multiple patients, triage is used to determine
				the need for transport to a TSE facility, as well as the priority of needs of
				all of the patients.
(xix) "TSE
				facility" means:
(A) A Wyoming hospital that
				has been designated in one of the categories specified in Chapter 13, Section
				4(a) of these rules;
(B) A hospital
				outside of the state that is accredited by the American Heart Association
				(AHA), the Society for Cardiovascular Patient Care or the Joint Commission as a
				hospital equivalent to one of the categories in Chapter 13, Section 4(a) of
				these rules;
(C) A Trauma Center or
				a facility designated in one of the categories specified in
Rules
				Wyoming Department of Health, Trauma Program,
Chapter 4.