Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Emergency medical services (EMS) research is frequently dependent on data recorded by prehospital personnel. Linking EMS information with hospital outcome depends on essential identifying data. We sought to determine the accuracy of these data in patients who activated EMS for chest pain and to describe the types of errors committed. ⋯ The use of EMS-generated demographic data demonstrates moderate agreement and linkage with hospital records. Name and DOB are more reliable data elements for matching than SSN. Future research should examine the impact of electronic medical records and EMS identification numbers on data reliability.