Operational Challenges Facing EMS during COVID-19

This webinar is made possible through a partnership between the Deep South Biosafety Worker Training Program (WTP), the Region IV Public Health Training Center. The Deep South Biosafety WTP is a consortium of the Alabama Fire College Workplace Safety Training Program, the UAB School of Public Health, and the UAB Office of Interprofessional Simulation for Innovative Clinical Practice and is federally funded by National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (3U45ES006155-29S1).

The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous challenges for EMS including out-of-hospital management of patients and PPE use by EMS personnel.

Dr. Lekshmi Kumar will discuss the operational changes that have been adapted by Grady EMS during the COVID-19 pandemic including changes to personnel and PPE for the patient and personal safety, airway management, resuscitation, and cessation when responding to a cardiac arrest patient. Dr. lsakov will discuss best practices in protecting EMS healthcare personnel and strategies for overcoming PPE resource challenges and complacency in the use of PPE by EMS personnel.