• N Clay Mann, J Michael Dean, Helal Mobasher, Greg Mears, and Michael Ely.
• Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 84108-1284, USA. clay.mann@hsc.utah.edu
• Prehosp Emerg Care. 2004 Jan 1; 8 (1): 29-33.

ObjectiveAlthough the concept of emergency medical services (EMS) has existed for 30 years, there is little scientific evidence validating its impact on morbidity and mortality. A significant barrier to conducting meaningful assessments relates to the lack of reliable and uniform EMS data. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which states incorporate the Uniform Prehospital EMS Data Elements into statewide EMS data collection systems.MethodsStudy investigators requested and compared data elements from all states with a statewide prehospital data collection system.ResultsDuring the study period, 43 states with statewide EMS data collection systems captured, on average, 79% of the Uniform Prehospital EMS Data Set. Variables considered essential to EMS evaluation were more likely collected (84%) than variables considered desirable (72%). Only eight (10%) of the 81 uniform data elements are collected by all 43 participating states.ConclusionsFindings suggest that related EMS data variables are collected by the majority of states across the country. This degree of similarity provides a foundation for establishing common fields that can be used to develop a national EMS registry.

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