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Incorporating Drugs and Devices into Emergency Medical Services Systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Douglas M. Wolfberg ,
Vincent P. Verdile  and
Richard D. Flinn Jr.
Douglas M. Wolfberg
Affiliation:
Doctor of Juris Prudence candidate, WIDEVER University School of Law, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Vincent P. Verdile*
Affiliation:
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York; (Former) Chairman, Drugs and Devices Subcommittee, Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, Medical Advisory Committee
Richard D. Flinn Jr.
Affiliation:
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
*
Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208USA
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Abstract

The proliferation of new medical technology and pharmacology forces the medical community to ensure the efficacy and safety of new drugs and devices before their use in patient care. Although traditional medical practices have a fairly consistent means to achieve this end, prehospital medical practice often does not. In addition, it often appears that the emergency medical services marketplace does not always follow conventional supply/demand and cost/quality paradigms. This article describes a process implemented in Pennsylvania to standardize the mechanism by which new drugs and devices are introduced into prehospital medical practice.

Keywords

devicesdrugsemergency medical services systemsmedical controlproductsprotocolstechnology assessmenttraining
Type
Special Reports
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 3: CJ Shanaberger Memorial Issue , September 1995 , pp. 189 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1995

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