Skip to page content

Emergency Medical Services

Featured

Emergency medical services (EMS) teams often provide out-of-hospital acute medical care and transport, and emergency room (ER) staff treat acutely ill or injured individuals in hospital settings. To maximize EMS and ER effectiveness and availability, RAND research provides policymakers with critical information, analyses, and recommendations on the coordination, communication, performance, protection, and training of these public health professionals.

Report
Strategies for Improving Prehospital Outcomes for Cardiac Arrest
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a common, life-threatening event that is a leading cause of death in the United States. RAND researchers identified 49 strategies to improve OHCA survival and the delivery of care.
Jul 20, 2022
Commentary
Will the New 988 Hotline Be a Game Changer for Mental Health or a Missed Opportunity?
Someone dies from suicide in the United States every 11 minutes, a rate that has increased almost 30 percent since 2000. The 988 mental health hotline will launch on July 16, but states need to clear significant hurdles: funding the expanded crisis response system and making sure people know it's available.
Jun 20, 2022

Explore Emergency Medical Services

Commentary
Be Hungry or Be Sick? Proposed Medi-Cal Co-Pay Could Force the Choice for Many
The $15 co-pay a mother is expected to cover represents half of a full week's food costs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Jun 20, 2012
Blog
Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire
A better solution than restricting emergency department use by Medicaid enrollees is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.
May 21, 2012
Commentary
Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care—Understanding the Link
The fact that many ED (emergency department) visits could be managed in primary care settings does not mean that such care is available, write Arthur L. Kellermann and Robin M. Weinick.
May 18, 2012
Report
Analysis of the Cities Readiness Initiative
Examines (1) the status of communities' capability to deliver medical countermeasures within 48 hours of a federal decision to deploy assets and (2) whether the Cities Readiness Initiative has improved communities' capability to meet that goal.
Mar 27, 2012
Journal Article
Medical Relief After Earthquakes: It's Time for a New Paradigm
This editorial examines the performance of urban search and rescue teams that responded to major earthquake disasters in Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Haiti, New Zealand, and Japan over the last decade.
Mar 1, 2012
Report
Preventing emergency readmissions to hospital: A scoping review
The study reports on the evidence and potential for use of 'emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital' as an indicator within the NHS Outcomes Framework, drawing on a rapid review of systematic reviews.
Jan 25, 2012
Journal Article
The Changing Landscape of America's Health Care System and the Value of Emergency Medicine
Emergency medicine is poised as a specialty to respond to health care changes and to lead the charge in transforming a disconnected, inefficient, and costly system.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Developing and Pilot Testing a Laboratory Specific Continuity of Operations Tabletop Exercise
Describes the importance of a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), and identifies common strengths and potential vulnerabilities of laboratoy-specific COOPs.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Can Quality-Adjusted Life-Years and Subgroups Help Us Decide Whether to Treat Late-Arriving Stroke Patients with Tissue Plasminogen Activator?
Treatment of stroke patients is highly time-sensitive. The risk of death or disability caused by intracranial hemorrhage may increase with both stroke size and time.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care — Understanding the Link
Attempts by states to save money by seeking to lock Medicaid enrollees out of the emergency department are likely to backfire.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Commercial Products That Convey Personal Health Information in Emergencies
Describes commercially available products and services designed to convey personal health information in emergencies.
Dec 1, 2011
Journal Article
A Queuing-Base Statistical Approximation of Hospital Emergency Department Boarding
A hospital Emergency Department's(ED's) wait times can be driven by high occupancy in its downstream InPatient hospital (IP).
Oct 1, 2011
Research Brief
Why Are Many Emergency Departments in the United States Closing?
Between 1990 and 2009, the number of emergency rooms (ERs) in nonrural U.S. hospitals declined by 27 percent (from 2,446 to 1,779). Economic factors play a central role in an ER's ability to remain open.
Sep 9, 2011
Journal Article
Achieving Public Health Legal Preparedness: How Dissonant Views on Public Health Law Threaten Emergency Preparedness and Response
Organizational culture differences between public health and emergency management entities may hinder inter-agency collaboration.
Sep 1, 2011
Journal Article
Why Clinicians Use or Don't Use Health Information Exchange
The ED is one important place where an HIE may have an impact on patient care because many emergency patients are unfamiliar to ED facilities and important clinical information is often missing.
Jul 1, 2011
Journal Article
Factors Associated with Closures of Emergency Departments in the United States
This study found that the number of emergency departments operating in the US from 1990 to 2009 declined by 27%. EDs with safety-net status, for-profit ownership, and low profit margin were at higher risk of closure.
May 18, 2011
Report
Complex trauma research in the UK: A rapid review of the funding landscape
This documented briefing presents the results of a rapid review of the funding landscape for complex trauma research in the UK. Recommendations are made about how to strengthen this niche and orphan area of research.
Apr 18, 2011
Report
Building Community Resilience to Disasters
Communities can build resilience to disasters through efforts such as joint planning of government and non-governmental organizations and the development of community networks.
Feb 22, 2011
Research Brief
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Roadmap to Guide Local Planning
Examines ways in which communities can improve their ability to withstand and recover from adversity.
Feb 22, 2011
Journal Article
Using Geographic Information Systems to Match Local Health Needs with Public Health Services and Programs
Large local health departments could better inform planning and investments by using geographic information systems to align community needs and health outcomes with public health programs.
Jan 1, 2011

Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Next

RAND Topic:
Emergency Medical Services

Topic Synonyms:
Emergency Medicine;
EMS

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jay Balagna

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Jay Balagna (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. His research interests include disaster studies, disaster risk reduction and creation, the influence of climate change on…
Mahshid Abir

Senior Physician Policy Researcher

Mahshid Abir is a senior physician policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Also a practicing emergency physician, her research evaluates the acute care continuum including pre-hospital, emergency, inpatient, and ambulatory care, with a focus on policy-related issues. Abir's past work includes…

Explore Our People »