Saving Our Neglected Patients: The Urgent Need to More Effectively Address Bariatric, Geriatric, Mentally-Ill and Other Special Patient Populations

---

When you’re dispatched for a 911 medical emergency you are responding to a unique patient with diagnoses you may or may not have heard of before.  EMS providers are trained as generalists, but patients and communities expect them to be prepared to expertly treat and assess all regardless of their special condition or need.  Receiving additional training on complex patients is especially relevant in today’s world as the number of recognized special groups continues to rise.  Geriatric, bariatric, pediatric and mental health patients all present unique challenges to the EMS provider which vary widely from the general population.  These patients often do not receive the special care they need because EMS providers are not adequately trained in specific disorders.  In this keynote presentation, Mr. Overton will discuss the importance of adapting emergency service training to the populations that services respond for.  He will also address challenges and opportunities of providing high quality care for treating complex patients in areas wishing to cut budgets and downsize EMS services.