Eliminating Protocol Implementation Barriers in Emergency Medicine

A member of the Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society at California State University in Fresno, Danny Ashley served as a physician assistant in the emergency department (ED) at Fresno Community Regional Medical Center, gaining extensive knowledge in medical terminology and procedures. In that role, Danny Ashley worked both inside the medical center and at community events when free screenings were given to populations in need.

Aside from serving as critical safety nets for patients with urgent medical needs, EDs sometimes are the places where health professionals first notice sickness trends or frequent injuries in a particular community. Sometimes, when a disease outbreak is about to occur, EDs receive a large number of patients who show a high risk of developing that particular disease. This is the case with several disease categories, including infectious diseases, environmental diseases, and diseases caused by adverse health behaviors (such as obesity). During the course of treatment, health professionals sometimes propose safety and public health protocols based on evidence.

According to a report published in the US National Library of Medicine, evidence suggests that EDs are faced with a variety of obstacles that prevent early dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices that could improve public health care. The issue was discussed at the 2009 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference. In consensus, a panel recommended that advocates and researchers should disseminate findings by means of multiple forums in addition to peer-reviewed publications whenever a public intervention at an ED has sustainable evidence to support a protocol integration into routine emergency care practice. The panel also recommended that such interventions should be supported through the use of incentives, regulation, and legislature outside the ED.