Checklists Improve EMS Documentation: Quality Improvement in a Collegiate-Based EMS Agency

umes, QI review processes may be especially critical in ensuring adequate documentation.The Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service (GERMS) is a basic life support (BLS) CBEMS agency in Washington, DC that serves Georgetown University and the surrounding community.GERMS is composed entirely of undergraduate student volunteers and responds to approximately 900 EMS calls annually.In 2014, a longstanding set of documentation checklists to assist providers with writing electronic patient care reports (ePCRs) were revised as part of the agency's continuous quality improvement (QI) process.The agency's student leaders and medical directors collaborated to revise the documentation checklists when a needs analysis found opportunities for improvement in the performance and documentation of appropriately-focused physical exams.Previously used checklists noted some criteria for commonly encountered chief complaints, but were outdated, inconsistent, and incomplete.The revised checklists incorporated more essential documentation elements for a wider range of chief complaints.Criteria for patient history, assessment, and intervention were organized separately in an easy-to-read format.GERMS has a QI committee that reviews each ePCR to measure compliance with current guidelines.Trends in patient documentation are shared at general membership meetings to highlight problems and areas for improvement.Prior to the adoption of these revised checklists, GERMS leadership oriented the membership during an annual Fall semester training workshop.The checklists were placed in the medical bags carried by members.