EMS Documentation

Excerpt

1. For most emergency medical services (EMS), a prehospital care report (PCR) form records demographic data (name, address, billing information), vital signs (Glasgow Coma Scale, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates, pain), a patient assessment, and details of any interventions that the EMS provider performed. The PCR can be on paper, electronic device (the ePCR), or sometimes a combination. PCR forms provide the details of patient care for handoff to other healthcare providers. The PCR also provides the documentation necessary for ambulance coders to create a bill to reimburse for the treatment provided. PCR forms are used in legal investigations, trauma registries, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) registries, research, and quality improvement initiatives.