About Us

Huh?

EMS Basics is an educational blog intended for prehospital emergency medical professionals. Topics discussed here cover the gamut, but give particular emphasis to the principles and practice of Basic Life Support, as provided by EMT-Basics as well as by paramedics and higher levels of care. We focus on fundamentals like assessment, pathophysiology, clinical decision-making, and patient advocacy, striving for evidence-based recommendations whenever possible.

Most of the content here is appropriate for an international audience, but many legal, cultural, and scope-of-practice points are intended for an American audience, and may have less relevance in other areas.

Who?

It is written and maintained by Brandon Oto, a humble EMT-B working out of the Boston, MA area, and originally hailing from northern California. He can be contacted at brandon@degreesofclarity.com or via his website http://degreesofclarity.com/, and welcomes any thoughts, questions, suggestions, or criticisms.

But . . .

All clinical information presented here is based on the personal experiences of the author combined with available scientific evidence. Links and citations may or may not be provided for the latter; if omitted, readers are encouraged to contact the author (by email or blog comment) for the relevant literature. Personal experience should be understood as coming from an EMT with several years of experience in a variety of private systems. He has no commercial conflicts of interests except where explicitly stated.

Personal stories told for illustrative purposes are frequently drawn from the author’s experiences, but are always stripped of all identifying information in accordance with HIPAA regulations. They may also be modified or supplemented for either didactic or privacy purposes. They should therefore be properly viewed as fiction, and not as reflective on any real-life company, patient, or region. Any opinions expressed are those of the author and not of his employers.

Although an attempt is made to give the proper context for all content, it should be emphasized that clinical and operational guidelines for EMS providers are established by federal, state, local, and agency authorities, and not by a blog on the internet. Advice or information offered here should therefore be viewed as instructional, but not authoritative; it does not give you carte blanche to violate any established protocols within your area. Careful consideration of your policies, prior consultation with supervisors and medical direction, and when necessary, online communication with medical control is always recommended to ensure you stay within the guidelines established for your care.