§ 23-78.1-5 - Emergency medical services providers; triage and transportation of stroke patients.
SECTION 23-78.1-5
§ 23-78.1-5 Emergency medical servicesproviders; triage and transportation of stroke patients. – (a) The department of health, division of EMS and the ambulance serviceadvisory board shall adopt and distribute a nationally recognized standardizedassessment took for stroke. The division of EMS shall post this strokeassessment tool on its website and provide a copy of the assessment tool toeach licensed emergency medical services provider no later than January 1,2010. Each licensed emergency medical services provider must use thestroke-triage assessment tool provided by the department of health, division ofEMS;
(b) The department of health, division of EMS and theambulance service advisory board shall establish pre-hospital care protocolsrelated to the assessment, treatment, and transport of stroke patients bylicensed emergency medical services providers in this state. Such protocols mayinclude plans for the triage and transport of acute stroke patients to theclosest primary stroke center as appropriate and within a specified timeframeof onset of symptoms;
(c) By June 1 of each year, the department of health,division of emergency medical services (EMS), shall send the list of primarystroke centers to each licensed emergency medical services agency in this stateand shall post a list of primary stroke centers on the division of EMS website.For the purposes of this chapter, the division of EMS may include primarystroke centers in Massachusetts and Connecticut that are certified by the jointcommission, or are otherwise designated by that state's department of publichealth as meeting the criteria for primary stroke centers as established by thebrain attack coalition;
(d) Each emergency medical services provider must comply withall sections of this chapter by June 1, 2010.