Prehospital Nursing in Maryland - Legal Considerations
Abstract
Prehospital care is a recent expansion of the health care system. One of the first indications that systematic emergency medical services were needed, was the publication of the 'White Paper' - 'Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society' in 1966 by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Committee (NAS/NRC). During the intervening years, federal and state agencies along with the medical community have developed what is known today as the Emergency Medical Services system (EMSs). Maryland was one of the first states to implement a statewide EMS (Boyd, 1983). The purpose of this paper is to explore the legal considerations of nurses practicing in the prehospital arena in Maryland today. In order to fully understand where the nurse fits in the EMSs, the origins of the Emergency Medical Services system will be reviewed. Relevant legal terms which apply to nurses in the prehospital health care area will be defined. A comparison of the Emergency Medical Services system and nursing regulatory bodies in Maryland will be made and a proposed reason for the present day conflict will be offered. Based on the concepts explored, implications for the nurse practicing in the prehospital environment in Maryland will be discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA239439
Entities
People
- Teresa M. Thorley
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology