Purpose Statement
The Civilian EMS Patient section within People Involved allows users to document civilian patients associated with an incident when the organization is not using First Due ePCRs for patient documentation.
This section provides a centralized location within the incident report to record patient information, assessments, treatments and procedures, medications, vital signs, signatures, cardiac arrest information, disposition, and the patient narrative.
Background Information
The Civilian EMS Patient record is located within the People Involved section of an incident report.
Use this workflow when a civilian patient needs to be associated with the incident but patient care documentation is not being completed through a separate First Due ePCR.
Depending on your department's configuration, available selections, default values, treatments, medications, and narrative templates may vary.
Required Permissions
Users must have access to Incident Documentation/Incident Reporting and the ability to add or edit information within an incident report.
First Due uses permission-based access controls. The exact permission name required for this workflow may vary based on your organization's configuration and could not be verified from publicly available documentation. If a user cannot add or edit a civilian EMS patient, an administrator should review the user's role and permissions for Incident Documentation.
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Step-by-Step Guide
1. Add a Person Involved
From the incident report, navigate to the People Involved section.
Select Add to create a new person involved with the incident.
2. Select EMS Patient
On the General Information tab, select EMS Patient as the applicable person type.
Selecting EMS Patient makes the applicable EMS and Casualty sections available.
Enter the patient's identifying information.
3. Complete the EMS Patient Information
Select the EMS tab.
Complete the available patient information as applicable to the incident. Fields may include:
- Number of patients
- Arrival at patient
- Patient transfer
- Wristband number
- Provider impressions or assessments
- ePCR number
- Patient evaluation status
- Patient status at intervention
- Transport outcome
Where available, select the Copy option to populate applicable information previously documented elsewhere in the incident report, such as information recorded within the Apparatus section.
4. Document Patient Injuries
If the patient sustained an injury, enable the applicable Injury option.
Complete the additional injury information that appears, including applicable fields such as:
- Body site
- Injury type
- Human factors contributing to the injury
- Other contributing factors
- Cause of illness or injury
5. Add Treatments and Procedures
Navigate to the Treatments and Procedures section and select Add.
Select the applicable treatment or procedure from the available list. Available options are based on your department's configuration.
Complete the applicable information, including:
- Date and time
- Provider
- Number of attempts
- Whether the procedure was successful
The Provider list may include applicable null values and personnel assigned to apparatus on the incident.
6. Add Medications
Navigate to the Medication section and add the applicable medication.
Complete the medication information, including:
- Medication
- Date and time
- Provider
- Dosage
- Dosage unit
If your department has configured defaults for the selected medication, those values may automatically appear after the medication is selected.
7. Document Vital Signs
Navigate to the Vital Signs section and add a new vital signs entry.
Enter the applicable Date and Time, then document the available vital signs for the patient.
Complete all applicable measurements based on the patient assessment and your department's documentation requirements.
8. Capture Patient Signatures
Navigate to the Signature section.
Select the Paper and Pencil icon for the applicable signature entry.
If a signature cannot be obtained, select Signature Not Obtained and document the applicable reason.
If a signature is being collected:
- Select the reason the signature is required.
- Enter or verify the date and time.
- Review the associated signature verbiage.
- Have the applicable person provide their signature.
- Select Save.
Additional signatures can be added when necessary.
9. Document Cardiac Arrest Information
If the incident involves a cardiac arrest, enable the Cardiac Arrest option.
Complete the applicable cardiac arrest information, including available sections for:
- Cardiac arrest details
- Pre-arrival information
- Post-arrival information
- Initial arrest rhythm
Only enable and complete this section when it applies to the patient.
10. Complete Additional EMS Information
Continue through the EMS section and document any applicable additional information, including:
- Safety equipment
- Initial level of provider
- Highest level of provider on scene
- Patient transfer status
- EMS disposition
Complete each field based on the patient encounter and your department's reporting requirements.
11. Complete the Patient Narrative
Navigate to the Narrative section.
Enter the narrative manually or select an available narrative template configured by your department.
To use a template:
- Select the applicable template.
- Review the template to confirm it is appropriate.
- Select Apply.
- Update the resulting narrative with information specific to the patient and incident.
Review the narrative for accuracy and completeness before saving the patient record.
12. Save the Civilian EMS Patient
After completing all applicable patient information, review the record for accuracy.
Select Save to save the civilian EMS patient and update the People Involved section of the incident report.
Best Practices
- Complete only fields applicable to the patient and incident.
- Verify patient information before saving to reduce reporting errors.
- Use available Copy functions when appropriate to reduce duplicate data entry.
- Confirm that the correct provider is selected when documenting treatments, procedures, medications, and other patient care activities.
- Document treatments, medications, vital signs, and signatures as accurately as possible.
- Use department-configured defaults and templates to improve consistency, but always verify that populated information accurately reflects the specific patient encounter.
- Review narrative templates before applying them and update all patient-specific information.
- Enable optional sections, such as Injury or Cardiac Arrest, only when they apply to the patient.
- Review the entire patient record before selecting Save.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Why do I not see the Civilian EMS Patient option?
Confirm that you are adding the patient from the People Involved section of the incident report. If the option is unavailable, contact your First Due administrator to verify your department's configuration and your user permissions.
When should I use the Civilian EMS Patient section instead of an ePCR?
The Civilian EMS Patient section is intended for documenting a civilian patient within the incident report when your organization is not using First Due ePCRs for that patient's documentation.
Why is the Number of Patients field unavailable?
Some fields may be automatically populated or unavailable based on the patient record, incident information, or your department's configuration.
Can I copy patient times from another area of the incident report?
Where the Copy option is available, information previously documented in another applicable section, such as Apparatus, can be used to populate the corresponding patient information.
Why don't I see a specific treatment, procedure, or medication?
Available selections are based on your department's configuration. Contact your First Due administrator if an expected option is unavailable.
Why did values automatically populate after I selected a medication?
Your department may have configured default values for that medication. Review all defaulted information to ensure it accurately reflects the care provided.
What should I do if the patient cannot provide a signature?
Select Signature Not Obtained and document the applicable reason the signature could not be collected.
Can I add more than one signature?
Yes. Additional signatures can be added when multiple signatures are required for the patient encounter.
Can I use a template for the patient narrative?
Yes, if your department has configured narrative templates. Select the appropriate template, apply it, and then update the narrative so it accurately reflects the specific patient encounter.