Implementation of Research in the Out-of-hospital Setting

Abstract

When conducting a study in the out-of-hospital setting, it is important that the researchers spend time carefully integrating their study into the existing emergency medical services (EMS) system. Projects that attempt to radically change existing procedures will most likely fail. A researcher must remember that the EMS providers' primary commitment is to patient care, and extra tasks that interfere with care will not be completed. This includes the acquisition of research data. Even the best-designed study will fail to yield good results if data collection and management are poor.