The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Paramedic determination of appropriate emergency department destination.
Freestanding emergency departments (FSED) are equipped to care for most emergencies, but do not have all the resources that hospital-based emergency departments (ED) offer. As the number of FSEDs grows rapidly, emergency medical services (EMS) must routinely determine whether a FSED is an appropriate destination. Inappropriate triage may delay definitive care, potentially increasing morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization. We sought to evaluate paramedics' ability in determining whether a FSED is the most appropriate destination. ⋯ In this study, involving two EMS agencies over a 25-month period, we found that 3 out of 4 patients deemed appropriate for transport to a FSED by a paramedic did not require additional hospital-based services.