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EMS Data in Use

Here are just a few of the many ways data is applied across the country to deepen understanding and find solutions to complex public health issues:

EMS by the Numbers

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of EMS data at the national, State and local levels. Thanks to the nearly universal adoption of NEMSIS standard for collecting and reporting patient care data across the country, public health officials were able to see, in near real-time, the impact the pandemic was having on communities and EMS systems. The NEMSIS Technical Assistance Center continues to produce weekly reports sharing information about the pandemic gleaned from national EMS data. Learn more.

The Opioid Crisis

Every day, EMS clinicians interact with people who use opioids and patients suffering from opioid use disorder and overdose. Across the country, systems are finding innovative solutions to prevent opioid overdoses, such as sharing EMS data with public health officials and engaging in community partnerships to link patients to treatment programs for substance use disorders. Explore opioid epidemic resources.

Working with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to reverse the rising tide of drug overdoses, NHTSA’s Office of EMS has created the real-time ONCDP Dashboard. The new dashboard uses state-submitted, de-identified data from the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS), allowing local agencies and the public to more accurately track EMS activations for non-fatal overdoses, surveille for outbreaks, and better understand the need for and effectiveness of public health interventions like naloxone. Learn more about the ONCDP Dashboard.

Highway Safety

Identified as a highway safety database for the valuable information on medical response to traffic crashes nationwide, the EMS Database features near real-time information about injuries and fatalities from incidents on our roadways.

The National EMS Dashboard, a visually interactive presentation of traffic crash data from the database, makes it easier for traffic safety professionals to access and use nationwide crash data. The dashboard offers valuable insights into the condition of crash victims, pre-hospital care, EMS transportation decisions, and transportation disposition immediately following crashes. This intuitive data quickly illustrates the potential for clinical information to reduce death and disability from traffic crashes. Learn more.

Operational Data

These data-rich resources can provide guidance for EMS leaders interested in applying evidence-based insights to manage their agencies. Learn more.

Compare the reported dispatch complaint with actual findings recorded by the responding EMS team. Learn more.

A monthly report that tracks specific EMS activations relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, including response rate/count, pediatric activations, cardiac arrest, on-scene deaths, vehicle crash injuries, opioid-related responses, and more.

Investigates various measures of MVC injury severity including patient acuity, trauma center criteria and risk factors and hospital capability. Learn more.

EMS agencies can compare their performance on 10 NEMSQA Performance Measures against other agencies of similar geographical and organizational factors. Learn more.

A monthly report on EMS response, patient injury and severity and comparisons between injury and fatality rates. Learn more.

Investigates patient, response and incident characteristics of EMS responses to MVC-related injuries. Learn more.

Find the other reports here.

Last Updated: 06/29/2023