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NEMSIS 2021 Public Dataset Now Available for Research

EMS News

Data from Nearly 49 Million EMS Activations in 2021 Now Available for Research

Additionally, National EMS Database reaches important milestone as 50 states, D.C. and 3 U.S. territories are now submitting patient care data

The National Emergency Medical Services Information System Technical Assistance Center (NEMSIS TAC) announced the release of the 2021 Public-Release Research Dataset, the largest publicly available data of emergency medical services (EMS) activations in the U.S.

The dataset includes information from patient care reports from nearly 49 million EMS activations submitted by almost 14,000 EMS agencies serving communities across the country. Collected at the local level by individual EMS clinicians responding to calls and caring for patients, this data provides EMS agencies, states and the nation with critical insights for quality improvement, resource deployment, public health surveillance and more.

Since the NEMSIS data standard and National EMS Database were created with support from the NHTSA Office of EMS, researchers have used the data to study numerous important clinical and operational issues. This year alone, National EMS data has been used in articles addressing airway management, socioeconomic disparities, cardiac arrest, stroke and overdoses, just to name a few.

To learn more about the NEMSIS 2021 Public-Release Research Dataset, including how to request a copy of the dataset for research, visit nemsis.org, where you’ll find access to tutorials as well as online and pdf forms to request the data.

Learn More About the Dataset

NHTSA and the NEMSIS Technical Assistance Center also recently celebrated the addition of Delaware to the list of states and territories submitting EMS data to the National EMS Database–meaning information from EMS activations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and three additional U.S. territories are now being collected. This means an even more robust, complete picture of EMS across the country will be available to policymakers and researchers in the future.

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NEMSIS | EMS Body Cam Guide

New Guide Offers Body-Worn Camera Legal Considerations for EMS Agencies

Although body-worn cameras aren’t yet widely used in EMS, interest is growing and organizations that have employed them have seen significant benefits – and some limitations.

To help guide agencies, the National Emergency Medical Services Information System Technical Assistance Center (NEMSIS TAC), in cooperation with the legal firm Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, has released the EMS Body-worn Camera Quickstart Guide: Legal Considerations for EMS Agencies. The guide provides an overview of general legal issues for EMS agencies thinking about using body-worn cameras.

An overview of these key legal considerations for EMS agencies are covered in the new document:

  • Federal HIPAA standards
  • State invasion of privacy laws
  • State wiretap/eavesdropping laws
  • State open records laws
  • Data retention requirements
  • Developing a body-worn camera policy

Every EMS agency considering the use of body-worn cameras must evaluate not just legal issues but financial considerations, public perception, impact on staff, potential union bargaining and more.

Download PDF

NEMSIS 2020 Public-Dataset Now Available

From NEMSIS on May 28, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEMSIS 2020 Public-Dataset Now Available

Salt Lake City, Utah, May 11, 2021 – The National Emergency Medical Services Information System Technical
Assistance Center (NEMSIS TAC) today announced the availability of the 2020 Public-Release Research Dataset,
the largest publicly available dataset of emergency medical service activations in the United States. With this
release, NEMSIS aims to improve understanding of, confidence in, and support for EMS data collection and
analysis that will lead to data being utilized more effectively to improve patient care.

“The 2020 dataset is a powerful asset for researchers looking into all manner of conditions that affect different
aspects of EMS service.,” said Dr. N. Clay Mann, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of
Utah School of Medicine and Principal Investigator for the NEMSIS Technical Assistance Center. “Hopefully, the
information gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic will help give EMS agencies valuable insight on their work
improving EMS services under all sorts of conditions.”

The 2020 Public-Release Research Dataset is a subset of the National EMS Database that is the repository for
EMS data collected from U.S. States and Territories. NEMSIS maintains the national standard for how patient
care information resulting from an emergency 9-1-1 call for medical assistance is collected. The dataset includes
43,488,767 EMS activations submitted by 12,319 EMS agencies servicing 50 states and territories.

Those interested in requesting a copy of the 2020 Public-Release Research Dataset can contact the NEMSIS TAC
and fill out a request form at their website https://nemsis.org/using-ems-data/request-research-data. A
password-protected USB drive containing the dataset, the 2020 NEMSIS Data User Manual, NEMSIS Data
Dictionary v3.4.0, Extended Data Definitions v3.4.0, and sample SAS code file will be sent via postal service.

ABOUT NEMSIS

The National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) is the national health information
exchange and database used to collect and store EMS data from states and territories. NEMSIS is a universal
standard for how patient care information resulting from an emergency 9-1-1 call for medical assistance is
collected. It is a collaborative system to improve patient care through the standardization, aggregation, and
utilization of point-of-care EMS data at a local, state, and national level.
NEMSIS is a program of NHTSA’s Office of EMS and is hosted at the University of Utah.

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