Emergency Health Services Nova Scotia
Office of EHS Provincial Medical Director

 

EHS Provincial Medical Director

 

The EHS Provincial Medical Director (PMD) has the overall responsibility for managing and directing the clinical activities of all EHS programs. Essentially, the PMD ensures the quality of medical care received by patients in emergency pre-hospital settings.

Medical oversight can be divided into three areas:

Prospective - this involves such aspects as education, registration, re-registration, equipment and protocol development.
 

Concurrent or Immediate - this involves "off line" - the provision of written policies and protocols and "on line" - the availability of physician advice in real time.
 

Retrospective - this involves a continuous quality improvement program that strives to improve patient care and outcomes. 

Ideally, all aspects of patient care would be evaluated on patient outcomes. However, with the exception of cardiac arrests and trauma, few systems can do this. Therefore, EHS substitutes the evaluation of processes (how well we are performing in terms of assessment, documentation, protocol and scene compliance as well as skills) with the understanding that should translate into optimal outcomes.

 

It is essential for the enhancement of pre hospital care that EHS works to integrate pre hospital care into the health care community. The Provincial Medical Director is involved with programs that involve expanding the traditional roles of paramedics. In particular, the Long and Brier Islands Excess Capacity Project is evaluating the role of paramedics in public and primary health care delivery, teaching and prevention.

 

It is also of utmost importance for the advancement of pre hospital care that EHS - including paramedics - are involved in research. The Division of EMS under the Department of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University is taking the lead role. Any paramedic wishing to become involved in research or with a research proposal should contact Dr. David Petrie (david.petrie@dal.ca).

 

As well there are several physicians listed in the Evidenced Based Protocol introduction who serve as consultants or section editors in the continual upgrade and development of our protocols.

 

Medical Oversight Policy & Protocol Manual

Policies  

Protocols

Procedures

Medications

Cardiac Arrest

2002 Annual Report - Cardiac Arrests

2003 Annual Report - Cardiac Arrests

The Nova Scotia Provincial Out of Hospital Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Arrests 1999 - July 31, 2004

2004 Annual Report - Cardiac Arrests

2005 Annual Report - Cardiac Arrests

Provincial Medical Director's Quarterly Updates

Long & Brier Islands Community Paramedicine

Registration Committee - Members

Terms of Reference

Minutes of Meetings
January 19, 2005
September 21, 2005
October 24, 2005

Previous Minutes of Meetings available upon request from Registrar only at registrarehs@gov.ns.ca.

Conduct & Competency Committee - Members

Terms of Reference

Minutes of Meetings
May 11, 2005
September 15, 2005
October 11, 2005
November 17, 2005

Previous Minutes of Meetings available upon request from Registrar only at registrarehs@gov.ns.ca.

Closed Incidents Report (Tally) 1996 - 2004