Improving Emergency Medical Response

  In 2004, the National Cooperative Highway ResearchProgram (NCRHP) completed their StrategicHighway Safety Plan. The third section of this plan focused on Rural Emergency Medical Services in conjunction with the high number of rural traffic fatalities each year. Their report showed that rural areas not only suffer from a large number of traffic fatalities but also a larger degree of fatal car crashes per vehicle miles traveled (see the two graphs above).  Furthermore, these areas also have a significantly slower EMS response time. This, in particular, is cause for 

worry since there is a direct correlation between length of response time and increase in the severity of an injury. As shown in the figure on the right, the average EMS response times in rural areas are approximately 17 min longer than those in urban areas. This, as the safety plan suggested, can be attributed to many different factors including the increased distance between the accident and the closest first responders. Another cause for delay, as Stacy Vogel discussed in her article, is the fact that many rural responders are volunteers and they must first travel to the station before heading out to the scene.  While these delays are unavoidable, there are other ways to help reduce response-to-treatment time which, in turn, will also help to reduce the progression of more serious injuries.

“CodeHeartSends Real-time Emergency Vitals from Ambulances to Physicians”

   Last week, Washington Hospital Center announced a mobile application which has the potential to significantly improve patient care. This secure device has the ability to stream real-time audio and video from moving ambulances to their emergency center destination. This, as Potts explains, will allow trauma personnel to gather basic information while the patient is in transit as opposed to waiting until the patient is already in the hospital emergency room. This would then allow doctors to start treatment immediately, thereby reducing the time between injury and treatment. Although the device is not widely available and is only being used to help cardiac patients in route to the hospital, Washington Hospital Center hopes that, in the future, the device will become widely utilized and can then be used to start evaluating trauma cases. Although CodeHeart is not yet a viable option for many rural areas, the promise of such a device offers hope at improving the current standards of rural medicine, particularly response time.

Breast Cancer in Rural America

   This month, thousands of Americans have joined together in the annual fight against breast cancer, one of the most common cancers among women in the United States. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) has been widely supported by family and friends of both the survivors and those newly diagnosed. When October began, the color pink became a staple of our consumer culture. People across the country have donned pink t-shirts, wristbands, and ribbons. The National Football League has incorporated the color pink into all aspects of media including their website graphics as well as other advertisements. Professional sports players have added pink accents to their uniforms. As the days have passed, people have joined in walks while others are encouraged to donate toward breast cancer research. October has become a time when people are made aware or reminded of this disease; they are encouraged to be proactive and to take every possible step toward disease prevention.

"MU Research Shows Breast Cancer Patients Still Need Post-Treatment Support"

   Last October, journalist Daniel Longar interviewed a woman from rural Missouri who was battling breast cancer at the time. For her, it was important to find the necessary support that she needed to make it through the treatments. While interviewing an assistant professor of health psychology at Missouri University, Longar found that cancer patients and survivors in rural areas are at a disadvantage to those living in a more urban setting. According to Stephanie Reid-Arndt,

“Rural areas have a lot of social interaction and community support, but they have less access to services, such as a mental health facilities [sic].”

   In addition to not having a variety of specialist options, those with cancer in rural America do not have access to other professional help. Although having support from family and friends is necessary, it is also important to have access to therapists who can help you make sense of what is happening and come to terms with your situation. Furthermore, as Reid-Arndt mentioned, support from family and friends typically diminishes once a patient has entered remission or has completed treatment. This is the point where therapy or other support groups can help a patient continue and help others even after the cancer is gone.
   For the past 26 years, Americans have been joining together to raise awareness and research funds for breast cancer. Each October, survivors join together with current patients and share their experiences and stories. One cancer survivor that Longar interviewed commented on the fact that breast cancer never really leaves a person – even if the cancer is gone, the memory and the experiences will never be. Men and women in rural America are already at a disadvantage when it comes to prevention of this cancer. Yearly mammograms as well as self-testing are important but many rural Americans do not have access to such tests and specialists as do those living in an urban area. What is possibly even worse is that many rural cancer patients and survivors do not have access to treatment “after” cancer. So, even though it is very important to work to better the medical care in rural areas, it is equally (if not more) important to better the psychological care one can receive either during or after a particular treatment.