Emergency Language Systems
Encyclopedia
Emergency Language Systems is a Maryland S-Corporation in the business of publishing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) language translation field guides. Emergency Language Systems maintains copyrights and trademarks for a series of books called EMSpañol. The company's founders are Jeff Dean, NREMT-Paramedic and Miguel Castañares, NREMT-Basic.
counted approximately 35 million Hispanics living in the United States. In 2007, the United States Census Bureau
estimated the Hispanic population had grown to almost 45 million.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), between 1992 and 2006 approximately 13 percent of all work-related injury deaths were Hispanic workers, a rate which exceeds those of other groups.
In 2006, the rate of work injury-related death was 25 percent higher in Hispanics compared to all workers. Foreign-born Hispanic workers had a higher rate of work-related injury deaths compared to native born Hispanic workers, and the largest portion of deaths among Hispanic workers occurred in the construction industry, which represented about a third of all such deaths. Since 1997, the most common causes of death have been highway incidents and falls to a lower level. Also the CDC reports that the number of falls as a cause of death increased 370 percent between 1992 and 2006.
The National Institutes of Health
also report a disparity between the level of severity of illness or injury on first contact with emergency medical services between white and black/Hispanic patients, with black/Hispanic patients tending to wait longer into an illness or injury process to summons help.
. The word EMSpañol is a trademark owned by Emergency Language Systems. EMSpañol books are printed in Salisbury, Maryland.
EMSpañol is a simple system for English-speaking EMS providers to assess and manage Spanish-speaking patients. EMSpañol uses simplified Spanish phrases to elicit as many yes/no and non-verbal answers as possible. EMSpañol follows standard EMS practice to assess Airway, Breathing and Circulation emergencies and make assessments throughout EMS' full scope of practice
, including cardiac, respiratory, diabetic, OB/GYN and pediatric emergencies, the Rapid or Pre-Hospital Trauma Assessment
, the Fibrinolytic Checklist and the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale. EMSpañol also includes a spelling and pronunciation chart and a labeled diagram of the body for the patient to indicate injured or painful areas by pointing.
of Newport Beach, California owns and maintains the standards governing the START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment
) MCI Triage system used widely by EMS and fire companies in the United States. In 2009, The Newport Beach Fire Department granted permission to Emergency Language Systems to create an English-Spanish version of the START program, which is available free from either the Newport Beach Fire Department or Emergency Language Systems.
Dr. Lou Romig, of Miami, Florida owns and maintains the standards governing the JumpSTART (pediatric Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) MCI Triage system used internationally by EMS and fire companies for mass casualty triage involving children. In 2009, Dr. Romig worked with Emergency Language Systems to create an English-Spanish version of the JumpSTART system, which is available free of charge from Dr. Romig or from Emergency Language Systems.
Spanish for EMS: Contact Between EMS and Spanish Speaking Patients
The 2000 United States CensusUnited States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
counted approximately 35 million Hispanics living in the United States. In 2007, the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
estimated the Hispanic population had grown to almost 45 million.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC), between 1992 and 2006 approximately 13 percent of all work-related injury deaths were Hispanic workers, a rate which exceeds those of other groups.
In 2006, the rate of work injury-related death was 25 percent higher in Hispanics compared to all workers. Foreign-born Hispanic workers had a higher rate of work-related injury deaths compared to native born Hispanic workers, and the largest portion of deaths among Hispanic workers occurred in the construction industry, which represented about a third of all such deaths. Since 1997, the most common causes of death have been highway incidents and falls to a lower level. Also the CDC reports that the number of falls as a cause of death increased 370 percent between 1992 and 2006.
The National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
also report a disparity between the level of severity of illness or injury on first contact with emergency medical services between white and black/Hispanic patients, with black/Hispanic patients tending to wait longer into an illness or injury process to summons help.
EMSpañol
Copyrights for EMSpañol: Ambulance Edition and EMSpañol: Pocket Edition are registered with the United States Copyright OfficeUnited States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. It is used by copyright title searchers who are attempting to clear a chain of title for copyrighted works.The head of...
. The word EMSpañol is a trademark owned by Emergency Language Systems. EMSpañol books are printed in Salisbury, Maryland.
EMSpañol is a simple system for English-speaking EMS providers to assess and manage Spanish-speaking patients. EMSpañol uses simplified Spanish phrases to elicit as many yes/no and non-verbal answers as possible. EMSpañol follows standard EMS practice to assess Airway, Breathing and Circulation emergencies and make assessments throughout EMS' full scope of practice
Scope of Practice
Scope of Practice is a terminology used by national and state/provincial licensing boards for various professions that defines the procedures, actions, and processes that are permitted for the licensed individual. The scope of practice is limited to that which the law allows for specific education...
, including cardiac, respiratory, diabetic, OB/GYN and pediatric emergencies, the Rapid or Pre-Hospital Trauma Assessment
Pre-hospital trauma assessment
Pre-hospital trauma assessment is a set of skills used by emergency medical services technicians to analyze all threats to life that a patient could suffer due to a trauma incident. Pre-hospital trauma assessment is broken into two major types: basic trauma assessment and advanced trauma...
, the Fibrinolytic Checklist and the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale. EMSpañol also includes a spelling and pronunciation chart and a labeled diagram of the body for the patient to indicate injured or painful areas by pointing.
Bilingual Mass Casualty/Triage
The Newport Beach Fire DepartmentNewport Beach Fire Department
The Newport Beach Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection, lifeguard coverage, and emergency medical services for Newport Beach, California....
of Newport Beach, California owns and maintains the standards governing the START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment
Simple triage and rapid treatment
Simple triage and rapid treatment is a method used by first responders to effectively and efficiently evaluate all of the victims during a mass casualty incident . The first-arriving medical personnel will use a triage tool called a triage tag to categorize the victims by the severity of their...
) MCI Triage system used widely by EMS and fire companies in the United States. In 2009, The Newport Beach Fire Department granted permission to Emergency Language Systems to create an English-Spanish version of the START program, which is available free from either the Newport Beach Fire Department or Emergency Language Systems.
Dr. Lou Romig, of Miami, Florida owns and maintains the standards governing the JumpSTART (pediatric Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) MCI Triage system used internationally by EMS and fire companies for mass casualty triage involving children. In 2009, Dr. Romig worked with Emergency Language Systems to create an English-Spanish version of the JumpSTART system, which is available free of charge from Dr. Romig or from Emergency Language Systems.
Bilingual Refusal of Care Forms
The Maryland Institute of Emergency Services Systems (MIEMSS) is the governing body of Maryland EMS systems and providers. MIEMMS has used and maintained a standard EMS Refusal of Care Form in English since 1986, which is used whenever an EMS crew responds to a patient who then chooses not to be transported. The Maryland Form was originally written by the Maryland Attorney General's Office. In 2009, Emergency Language Systems made a Spanish translation of Maryland's English language Form, had that translation certified by Dianne Almond, a legal translator in the Maryland Circuit Court System, submitted the translation and certification to MIEMSS, who forwarded both to the Maryland Attorney General's Office, who then granted Emergency Language Systems copyright permission to distribute the bilingual Refusal of Care Form throughout the United States.Spanish for Paramedics and EMT's
EMS leaders in the United States use a combination of solutions to solve the EMS language barrier, including the use of written materials and field guides, teaching EMS providers to speak Spanish, using remote translation services (Language Line or other phone based interpreters), and the recruiting and hiring of bilingual providers. The Dallas Fire Department's Strategic Plan for 2008–2010 emphasizes the growing need for emergency providers to have Spanish language knowledge, and indicates the department's exploration of a Spanish Immersion program for its employees.External links
- http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20106130343 Informational article, Daily Times newspaper, Salisbury, Maryland
- http://www.oceancitytoday.net/news/2010-06-11/Business/EnglishSpanish_guide_designed_for_paramedics.html Informational article, Ocean City Today newspaper, Ocean City, Maryland
- http://miemss.org Maryland Institute of Emergency Services Systems (MIEMSS)
- http://www.start-triage.com/index.html Newport Beach Fire Department's official START Triage website
- http://www.jumpstarttriage.com Dr. Lou Romig's official JumpSTART Triage website