Both Hinckley Medical and ESO Solutions are committed to using data and technology to empower EMS agencies to provide the best possible outcomes for patients in their community, which makes this integration a natural next step for both companies. 

By integrating with OneDose, clinicians using EHR will now be able to dose and document all patient treatments, interventions, and protocol adherence directly into ESO. This will allow critical NEMSIS (National EMS Information System) data – such as patient weight, medications, and treatment – to automatically sync, eliminating duplicate documentation and ensuring precision.

OneDose is designed to eliminate the cognitive load of having to calculate dosing in high stress situations by providing all medication and equipment necessary in just a click, along with timestamped treatments for more accurate record keeping.  

In addition to real-time documentation, customizable protocols, and in-app notifications, here are some key OneDose benefits coming to ESO EHR:  

• Instant calculation of necessary medications, equipment, and more 

• Comparison of pre-scene estimates with point-of-care actual weights 

• Full access to your organization’s protocol 

• Comparison of estimated versus actual weights of medication dosages  

• Automatic patient interaction history tracking 

• One-stop-shop for management of medication calculations, equipment sizes, and provider guidelines 

• Updated push protocols to team members with receipt verifications 

These new benefits combined with ESO EHR’s concise documentation, easy-to-read dashboards, and quickly accessible patient records will allow providers to keep their focus on their patient while accessing vital patient information and specialty forms that inform care in real time.

To learn more about the benefits of this powerful integration, check out the full press release from OneDose.  

To learn more about ESO EHR and how it can improve critical data capture for your team, check out the product page.

The post Introducing the OneDose and ESO EHR integration appeared first on ESO.

Held from April 22-25, Wave 2025 covered a variety of impressive topics throughout the week. Here are the five themes that were at the forefront of discussions in fire and EMS:

1. Artificial Intelligence   

Front and center on the world stage, AI is an incredible new technology that we’re only skimming the surface of what it can bring to the industry. Despite the fact that we need to proceed cautiously and responsibly, we’re excited to see how its role will continue to evolve in the years to come.  

At Wave, the air was abuzz with talks surrounding AI. Chief Innovation Officer of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Todd Ponsky, used his session Global Education Moonshot: Using AI and Media to Transform Medical Knowledge Access to shed light on the new technology’s role in fighting global disparities in patient care.  

Cincinnati Fire Department’s program manager, Robert Hug then shared how his department is transforming their documentation and analyses of their data through the integration of AI into Snowflake in Beyond ChatGPT: Unlocking the Power of AI in Snowflake.  

Finally, we learned how ESO will be tackling AI from ESO Senior VP of Engineering Russell Beggs, Senior VP of Product Reinhard Ekl, and Chief Innovation Officer Brandon Martinez in their session Artificial Intelligence in ESO Products: Efficiency Gains You Can Trust. They discussed the responsible approach ESO is using to harness the new technology to improve the efficiency and accuracy of documentation through our new auto-generated narrative feature. 

2. Mobile Integrated Healthcare 

EMS is on the front lines of providing medical care for their communities, treating the most vulnerable of society, oftentimes on a repeated basis. More than ever before, data and strategic partnerships are being used as tools for empowering first responders to get to the root of patients’ issues through Mobile Integrated Healthcare/Community Paramedicine programs. These programs can be incredibly impactful for both the agencies and the patients they treat.  

Kicking off the discussion, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Global Medical Response, Gerad Troutman, explored the power of these alternate care models in redirecting non-life-threatening cases away from the ER while providing proactive care for repeat callers in his talk From Sirens to Solutions: How EMS Data is Driving Smarter Healthcare, 

Then, in Unifying Community Paramedicine (CP) and Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Data: A NEMSIS Initiative, NEMSIS Technical Assistance Center Program Director Kevin Nicholes discussed how impactful data unification can be for MIH/CP programs in improving everything from patient outcomes to billing practices.  

Continuing to drill down into the importance of partnerships to MIH/CP programs, we learned how agencies across the city of Tulsa combined forces to leverage their different strengths and skills in order to get to the root of their patients’ problems thanks to Aligning Community Data for the Common Good by Tulsa Fire Department Chief of EMS, Justin Lemery.  

Finally, even though MIH/CP is an impactful tool for providing care for your community, you need the right funding to make it happen. Asbel Montes from Solutions Group Services gave us the rundown on what not to do when seeking a bigger budget in his talk, The Top 5 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking Additional Funding for MIH/CP. Then EMS/MIH Consultant Matt Zavadsky of PWW Advisory Group dove into the importance of using data to prove the value of the services you provide in From Data to Impact: Demonstrating Your Agency’s Value to the Community.  

3. Data-driven innovations 

Every day, organizations use ESO data to do incredible things, but without the framework to define, measure, and reduce errors in data, you can’t pull quality insights from the information gleaned. This was emphasized in Reducing Errors, What Percentage of Plane Crashes Would Be Okay?, where Cox Health EMS Medical Director Matthew Brandt shared strategies for using data to improve care, foster accountability, and ensure adaptation, along with in Be Curious not Furious: A Data-Driven Approach to Change by TowerDIRECT Paramedic Jason Drinkwater, where we learned how to measure what matters.  

Then, in Conducting Qualitative Research with Your Team: A Crash Course of Meaningful Outcomes, Fire Chief Dr. Brett Ellis from the City of Webster Grove took it a step further, teaching us it’s not just data quality that needs to be considered but who’s benefiting from the data that it pays to use qualitative research that reflects the personalities and passions of your team.  

We also learned that although data and technological advancements are doing incredible things for first response, organizations need to decide what’s best for them. In Assessing Your Technology Needs: A Practical Roadmap for Smarter Solutions, a session by Principle of Acceleration Strategies, Robert Edson, gave insights into how to determine which innovative tools are necessary for your organization without overspending or underutilizing resources. 

We also drilled down into what we should be measuring as an industry. Recently, data has shown that response times aren’t a reliable indicator for measuring outcomes, as they rarely reflect the quality of care provided. Chief Medical Officer of the Forth Worth Office of the Medical Director, Jeffrey Jarvis, is well versed on the topic and used his talk, Improving Clinical Care Using National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) Benchmarks, to share what your organization should be measuring instead. 

Using EMS Data to Drive Safety: Resources, Lights, and Sirens by UNC Department of Emergency Medicine’s EMS Chief Medical Officer Joseph Grover and Beyond Response Time Standards, the Evolution of Contract Compliance by Global Medical Response Clinical Quality Managers Brad Cramer and Jake Shores, both also dove into response but focused more on best practices for minimizing lights and sirens usage without sacrificing standard of care.  

We also learned how data is helping us build a better offense in our efforts to keep our communities safe. In Why Risk Reduction Planning Zones are Essential, AP Triton Senior Associate Frank Blackley discussed how the right insights can help agencies more effectively visualize and reduce risks. In the FSRI Fire Dynamics Research Update, UL-FSRI Director of Research Craig Weinschenk gave us the latest learnings related to WUI fires, electrical fires, and search and rescue. 

Cary Fire Department’s Fire and Emergency Services Analyst Blake Boyd raised another good point regarding measuring outcomes in Outliers: An Inclusive Conversation. He led a discussion on how traditional data analysis methods hinder fire departments’ ability to identify and manage outliers and what best practices could be taken instead.  

There are many uses for data. It doesn’t just push us towards better patient outcomes or help us get paid, as discussed by Systems Design West Education Direction Alissa Christenbury in Data-driven insights: improving ambulance billing through documentation analysis, but it is also a tool for keeping our teams safe. In The Power of Reporting: Using Data to Foster Trust and Prevent Violence, Commander Mandy Johnston of Peel Regional Paramedic Services spoke to the violence paramedics face on the job, along with the role data reporting can play in supporting prevention efforts. Then, in PPE Exposure to Energy Storage Fires, Texas A&M Division Director Chris Angerer discussed the data-driven best practices for protecting your department from the devastating impacts of exposure.  

SCEMSA Executive Director Henry Lewis really hit home the importance of data and how, when we work together in a unified front to utilize our collective insights and talents, we can do incredible things. His talk Leveraging Data for EMS Funding: the SCEMSA Story shared how the South Carolina EMS Association has overcome both a hiring and funding deficit by doing just that. 

This leads us to create the right culture around your data – from using insights to transform your leadership, as discussed by Dare County EMS Deputy Chief Terence Sheehy in Transformative Leadership: Don’t Give Up the Ships, to the importance of promoting the creation and use of data at your own organization as touted by the President/CEO of International Public Safety Data Institute, John Oates, in his talk What is Your Data Culture?, we were taught a lot about making your agency a hub for fostering excellence and growth.  

4. Prehospital and hospital interoperability  

Day in and day out, EMS providers make critical decisions with lives weighing in the balance. Today, data and technology are instrumental in closing the feedback loop and ensuring they have the necessary information to make the right call the moment they need it.  

In ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE): The Bridge to Better Patient Outcomes, VHC Health EMS Liaison Justin Nelson discussed how his team used ESO HDE to better facilitate communication with their partners, increasing feedback loop closures from 11% to 94% and increasing overall EMS transports by 7%, which ultimately transformed both the quality and quantity of the care they were able to provide.  

In Precision Under Pressure: How Technology Is Transforming Prehospital Dosing and Clinical Support, Hinkley Medical CEO Tristen Hazlett and Physician Abraham Campos gave us a run down on how powerful data-driven decision-making can be in shaping the future of prehospital care while Gaining “Insight” into Patient Acuity: Enhancing Response Plans by Linking Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Codes to Patient Care Interventions by Wake County EMS Deputy Medical Director Jefferson Williams explained how insights can improve patient-based response planning and prioritization today. 

As the role of fire and EMS continues to rapidly change beyond first response, data is helping them to become a bigger part of the patient care continuum than ever before. In The Evolving Role of Fire and EMS in Healthcare, Axene Continuing Education CEO & Founder Eric Axene, MD, FACEP, discussed how data-driven partnerships are transforming the relationship between prehospital and hospital care.  

The more we understand the entire continuum of care, the clearer we can see EMS’s full range of capabilities for treating patients and the impact they make. In To Transfuse or Not to Transfuse: Using ESO Data to Evaluate the Utility of Implementing a Prehospital Blood Product Program, Medical Director of Cincinnati Fire Department, Dustin Calhoun, dove into the current state of prehospital 911 blood product administration and our learnings thus far.  

5. NERIS 

The nervous excitement around NERIS was palpable at Wave, and crowds were out the door for sessions surrounding the new system. UL-FSRI Director of Research Craig Weinschenk led a session called National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS): Changing the Future of Fire Departments, where he gave a highly anticipated update on what’s currently happening with the project and how NERIS is set to transform the industry.  

In NERIS is Near Us, ESO product experts Jennifer Billingsley and Katie Heins gave a demo on the brand new NERIS-compliant Fire Incidents and answered a wide range of questions regarding the new response system. If you missed it, have no fear. You can check out our NERIS FAQs here, and if you don’t find an answer to your questions, submit them here, and we’ll be happy to assist you.  

Stay ahead of what’s trending in the industry. 

Our data experts at ESO compiled a few resources to help you keep up with a shifting industry while using aggregated data to ensure your organization stays at the top of its game. Check out the 2025 ESO EMS and Fire Services Indices to see where your organization stands against national benchmarks in important metrics. Pulling from the ESO Data Collective, the Indices help your team see where you’re on top of your game and areas that are ripe for improvement, along with sharing best practices that promote growth. 

Read the 2025 ESO Fire Service Index

Read the 2025 ESO EMS Index

It’s not too early to start thinking about Wave 2026! 

Mark your calendars for April 7-10, 2026, to join us in Austin, TX, for four days of thought leadership, networking, and learning. If you’re interested in being the first to get the inside scoop on what data-driven advancements and technologies are trending industry-wide, mark your calendars and stay tuned to register.  

The post Wave 2025 Recap: Top 5 Topics in EMS and Fire   appeared first on ESO.

The time for this shift is undoubtedly now: Resources are limited, providers are burnt out, communities are changing, and call types and volume require new, innovative ways to respond.

Introducing technology from call to care: An innovative way forward

Launched in early 2025, the updates to ESO’s core EHR platform are designed to help organizations not only keep up with the industry’s changing demands but stay ahead of the curve through connected systems, higher quality documentation, increased personnel readiness, and more supportive revenue operations. These updates come following the integration of Logis’ Dispatch and Billing solutions. The powerful connections between dispatch, incident reporting, and health records mean agencies can improve financial outcomes, prioritize dispatch, and build a comprehensive view of patient care – all in one platform.

With everything our customers have come to love about ESO EHR – including the high-quality documentation, simplified reporting, and intuitive workflows – the application now includes:

• • Longitudinal Record views
  • Enhanced functionality to support MIH processes and encounters
  • Critical Care workflows and forms
  • Native iOS application
  • ESO Insights with Global Dashboards and Benchmarking

Already an ESO EHR user? If you’re ready to explore these updates, please get in touch.

Talk to sales

These upgrades to the EHR platform will allow your agency to:

Get a more dynamic, patient-centric view of your data
Instantly access vital patient data, including historical records during care, for a more holistic view of patients’ long-term health. Plus, visualize and leverage data across all product verticals with ease, so you can efficiently meet your changing needs.

Support Mobile Integrated Health or Community Paramedicine processes
With upgraded, real-time access to patient history, and streamlined, modern Mobile Integrated Health features, you can better support the emergent and non-emergent calls in your community.

Improve resource allocation
ESO EHR is fully interoperable, connecting to Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD), Cardiac Monitors, Billing, and pre-hospital and hospital systems, so you can transfer patient care data across mobile applications. This not only streamlines care and tedious duplicative entry but also sets up smarter workflows for predicting where resources are best sent.

Provide care from anywhere
The iOS application for ESO EHR is a game-changer, with features such as speech-to-text, smarter multitasking, a scanning solution, and more – it also allows you to use the platform on any iOS device, even offline. Since your data is saved in real time, upon reconnection, you can be sure that no insights are lost in transit. Paired with the new Critical Care workflows, you can care for your most vulnerable patients regardless of location.

Improve overall outcomes
ESO Insights and comprehensive global reporting with benchmarks help your team quickly identify trends, gain visibility into areas of improvement, and track critical care performance.

Why do these updates matter?

Today’s patient-centric care relies on connected information across each stage of a patient’s experience. For cutting-edge EMS agencies today, documentation is a means to a mission-driven end: fully understanding your patients and resources to provide the best possible care to meet your community’s individual needs.

And most importantly, technology should evolve with a dynamic industry – which is why you’ll soon see even more new functionalities in EHR, including GenAI Narrative – an auto-generated narrative feature, additional customization, and even more interoperability in the future.

If you’re interested in upgrading to EHR and equipping your team with the tools they need to transition into this next evolution of their role, sign up for a free live demo.

See it firsthand

The post Emergency Services Are Evolving – So is ESO EHR appeared first on ESO.

Critical incident reporting metrics are designed to measure the events that have the most potential to be psychologically traumatizing for first responders and are closest linked to PTSD and suicide. While the list is not exhaustive and critical incidents can vary from person to person, their documentation is crucial for protecting your own team and further improving research for the entire industry.  

Here are the nine psychologically traumatizing events (PTE) you should be documenting:  

• Serious injury or line-of-duty death  
• Suicide of a co-worker  
• Death or serious injury to a child  
• Prolonged failed rescue  
• Multi-casualty incident disaster  
• The victim is known to the responder  
• Any incident where the personal safety of the responder is jeopardized  
• Incidents with excessive media interest  
• Any incident with a powerful emotional component 
  
  

It’s important to note that nearly 79% of records did not mention the circumstances surrounding critical incidents, which means there is a major opportunity for improving documentation. This could be in part due to the fact there is still a stigma around mental health within first response. 

So, what else can your organization do? 

With the alarming rise in suicide amongst first responders, the tracking of critical incidents should be a top priority within your organization and is one of many steps you can take toward improving the wellbeing of your team. Below are some recommended best practices as outlined in the 2024 ESO Fire Service Index and 2024 ESO EMS Index.

• Cultivate a supportive organizational culture where team members feel comfortable reporting critical incident exposure. Put organizational procedures and zero-harassment policies in place to promote a positive atmosphere of respect, fairness, and employee appreciation. 
  
  
• Documenting exposure to critical incidents is key. Enable incident tracking and take action when any events are reported. Ask clinicians how they prefer to be contacted when an incident occurs.  
  
  
• Consult the 2022 Public Safety Officer Support Act, which provides line-of-duty benefits for first responders experiencing PTSD due to critical incident exposure. 
  
  
• Since critical incidents can differ from person to person, provide training to your entire team based on the latest evidence for potentially psychologically traumatizing events to help them better recognize PTSD within themselves and their peers.  
  
  
• Invest in training and continuing education on delivering death notifications to ease the stress associated with performing this difficult task. 
  
  
• Ensure access to appropriate mental health resources. If possible, partner with local mental health clinicians who have experience working with first responders and consider establishing peer support teams. 
  
  

It’s important to remember that everyone reacts differently to the same or similar incidents, so personalize treatment to each person’s individual needs. Finally, ensure your team has the right support resources, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK [8255]) and pocketpeer.org.  

For more insights regarding improving your response to critical incidents, check out the 2024 ESO Fire Service Index and the 2024 ESO EMS Index.  

The post Why Critical Incident Reporting Matters appeared first on ESO.

It is with great pride that we’ve watched these organizations redefine what’s possible in first response throughout the year. From protecting the mental health and safety of first responders to providing care in underserved areas to empowering the next generation of nurses, the stories below highlight the incredible impact made by our community in 2024.

How Ute Pass’ MIH Program Centers Care Around the Patient 

Serving over 500 square miles in rural Colorado, Ute Pass Regional Health Service is using community paramedicine programs to improve healthcare access for underserved populations. By focusing on preventive care and data-driven insights, the agency is lowering costs and improving outcomes.

Read the blog or watch the video to get the full story. 

Addressing Violence in EMS 

Despite being driven by a desire to provide a service to their community, first responders are met with an increasing amount of violence in their day to day — a lot of which goes unreported due to its normalization in the field. Elizabeth Donnelly, PhD, MSW, MPH, NREMT, Associate Professor at the University of Windsor and Co-Principal Investigator of the Violence in Paramedicine Research Group, shares insights from years of research and frontline experiences, advocating for strategies like incorporating reporting tools and promoting a safer work environment for paramedics

For more information on the work Dr. Donnelly and the Violence in Paramedicine Research Group are doing and to learn how we can create safer working environments for EMS professionals, visit www.protectparamedics.com. 

Medavie’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare solution  

Based in Canada, Medavie Health Services uses Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) programs to deliver primary care and mental health support directly to patients, especially in rural areas. By using data to identify where care is needed most, they tailor their programs to address the unique needs of their communities.

Transforming Community Safety 

Trevor Wilson, Division Chief of Planning at the Indianapolis Fire Department understands that when it comes to community safety, a good offense is the best defense. In the past six months, he’s used his organizational insights to reduce emergency incidents in his at-risk neighborhood by an incredible 75%. 

Shaping the Future of Nursing 

Shawntay Harris, President and CEO of Eminent Healthcare Resources Consultants and the President of the Texas Emergency Nurses Association is passionate about shaping leaders in the field of nursing. Learn how she’s working with organizations to not only retain nurses but help them thrive in their careers.   

Why Cook Children’s Medical Center Chose ESO Patient Registry 

When it comes to providing the best trauma care, Cook Children’s Medical Center knows that having timely, reliable data is vital. ESO Patient Registry streamlined their collection process while reducing errors, improving the patient experience along the way.  

Children’s Hospital Colorado: Improving Care While Saving $40k

The Children’s Hospital Colorado team needed a faster way to exchange patient data, as their manual process often took two to three days. They implemented ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE), reducing that process to just a few minutes. By using ESO HDE, the hospital strengthened relationships with EMS partners, improved patient care, and saved $40,000 annually.

Download the full case study

Looking Ahead 

Thank you for taking the time to reflect on 2024 with us. We are so incredibly proud of the accomplishments our ESO community has made in the last year and look forward to seeing how their work shapes the future of health and safety in the years to come.  

There’s a lot of other achievements and big ideas that happened at ESO in 2024. To read more on the product innovations and research that made us most proud, check out the blog posts below. 

Year in Review: ESO Research and Data That Shaped 2024 

Year in Review: Product Innovation and Progress from 2024

The post Year in Review: The Impact of the ESO Community in 2024 appeared first on ESO.

As industries shift, evolving the role of public health and safety with it, the ESO platform needs to continuously improve to keep up. To ensure that we are delivering the best tools and updates designed to make your work easier and results more impactful.  

In celebration of the progress we’ve worked so incredibly hard for in 2024, here are a few of our biggest product innovations and advancements made possible by feedback and recommendations from customers like you. 

Innovations to Support the Industry 

Through listening to customer feedback, we developed solutions to address real-world needs, simplify operations, and improve outcomes. Last quarter, we announced that ESO Suite admins can now submit product feedback and ideas directly through the platform simply by clicking on an easy-to-use question mark button and the ESO community was thrilled, quickly putting the button to work.

“Over time, I saw my request move through the roadmap and eventually go live. It showed me ESO listens to its users and turns feedback into real updates.”
– Brandon Jenkins, Executive Director of Nottoway County  

And now this quarter, we’ve made the process even smoother by enabling the ESO Product Teams to respond directly to those submissions. These new capabilities will continue to improve the feedback process and allow our ESO community to play an even bigger part in working towards our collective mission.  

ESO EHR and Data Advancements

ESO continued its focus on evolving ESO Electronic Health Record (EHR) with features designed for critical care and mobile integration. Improvements like longitudinal patient records have transformed episodic documentation into comprehensive patient narratives, aiding both EMS and community health providers in delivering coordinated care. 

iOS for EHR 

Coming soon, the new native ESO EHR iOS app is designed to make documenting patient data even easier and more efficient. New innovative features such as speech-to-text, scanning technology, and smarter multitasking will make data entry a breeze, so first responders can get back to delivering their best care possible.  

ESO Insights and Dashboards 

New ESO Insights dashboards brought reporting features to the forefront for fire, EMS, and hospital teams. With live data capabilities and cross-platform integration, agencies are now equipped to analyze and act on vital data more effectively than ever. 

NERIS Transition Readiness 

ESO is continuing to prepare agencies for the upcoming transition to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), set to replace NFIRS. Early alignment with the NERIS schema ensures that fire departments are ahead of the curve as the industry standard evolves.  

We’ve created and compiled resources to help agencies prepare. Check out the FAQs page for answers to your most pressing questions, our blog posts for the latest updates, and helpful videos for step-by-step guidance on how to adopt NERIS with confidence. 

To help your department prepare, check out our FAQs About NERIS and blog on the upcoming launch of NERIS Version 1. You can also watch videos like What Fire Departments Need to Know About NERIS and NERIS Beta Launch Explained for step-by-step guidance.

Supporting First Responders and Communities through Dispatch 

ESO expanded its role in supporting first responders through improved tools and tailored solutions. The acquisition of Logis Solutions and the focus on mobile health initiatives reflect our commitment to evolving alongside the needs of emergency service providers and the communities they serve. By combining our complementing technologies, ESO will now be able to create a more cohesive patient journey from 911 call to outpatient services.  

From smarter decision making with Logis IDS to easier billing workflows with Billing, this new venture helps your team deliver the best possible care while ensuring all expenses are accounted for.  


Find out what’s possible with Logis by ESO

2024 Quarterly Product Updates 

Throughout 2024, the ESO Product team shared updates on how ESO platforms continue to improve. These quarterly updates provided a closer look at new features, enhancements, and resources designed to support your work. Check out this year’s product updates here:  

• (Q3/2024) ESO Updates: Quarterly Product Enhancements 

• (Q2/2024) ESO Updates: Quarterly Product Enhancements 

• (Q1/2024) ESO Updates: Quarterly Product Enhancements 

Connecting Care: ESO and Pulsara in Action 

Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) in Central Arkansas uses ESO and Pulsara to communicate and share data with their hospital partners, which has helped to both decrease paperwork and improve care.  

Watch the video to hear how MEMS improved care coordination:

ESO and IamResponding: Better Together 

IamResponding, the industry-leading incident alerting and situational awareness communication platform joined forces with ESO to empower first responders in making real-time, data-driven decision-making.  

See how this partnership will transform the industry: 

What Customers Are Saying About ESO Patient Registry 

An easy-to-use registry platform that streamlines day-to-day operations while providing better patient outcomes, there’s a lot our customers love about ESO Patient Registry.  

Hear what our customers have to say: 

Looking Ahead 

We hope you enjoyed reflecting on 2024. It was a big year for product innovation at ESO and we are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in working together towards our mission. As we move into 2025, ESO is committed to continuing this momentum. With new product updates, expanded partnerships, and a focus on customer collaboration, we look forward to helping agencies achieve even greater results in the year ahead. 

There’s a lot of other achievements and big ideas that happened in the last 12 months. To read more on the data-driven innovations that came out of the ESO community and the research done by the ESO team, check out the blog post below. 

Year in Review: ESO Research and Data That Shaped 2024 

The post Year in Review: Product Innovation and Progress from 2024 appeared first on ESO.

Earlier in the year, we released the 2024 ESO EMS, Fire Service, and Hospital Trend Reports, which forecasted the trends ESO experts believed would shape each industry. The 2024 ESO Trends Reports explored topics such as the growing demands on first responders and healthcare workers, improving first responder safety, and addressing gaps in care delivery. These priorities shaped many of the insights and research released throughout the year.

While much was accomplished in 2024, here are some of the highlights, white papers, and research that defined our journey:

Pioneering Research for Emergency Services

Aggregate data is an incredibly powerful tool for transforming first responders’ ability to serve their communities. With contributions from over 2,700 EMS agencies, fire departments, and hospitals across the U.S., the ESO Data Collaborative  provides one of the largest datasets for public safety and healthcare research, including studies on topics like airway management, cardiac care, and firefighter safety.

These findings help agencies improve health outcomes and make informed decisions about responder safety. ESO’s research also produces practical resources, such as white papers and guides, that agencies can use to implement these insights in the field.

Using the Power of Data to Drive Change

Released on April 2, 2024

The ESO Data Collaborative fuels research and helps agencies measure and improve operational performance. With aggregate insights from this extensive dataset, the annual ESO EMS, Fire Service, and Trauma Indices provide a detailed view of performance metrics compared to organizations across the U.S. These indices also share best practices to help agencies identify and address areas for improvement.

Read the 2024 ESO EMS Index

Read the 2024 ESO Fire Service Index

Post-Resuscitation Epinephrine Vs. Norepinephrine in Cardiac Arrest

Released in May 2024

Epinephrine and norepinephrine are both commonly used as prehospital vasopressors in the United States. However, previous research has suggested that epinephrine post-ROSC may be associated with increased chances of rearrest and mortality in comparison to norepinephrine.

Using target trial emulation methodology made possible by ESO data, this study aimed to review both methodologies to see if epinephrine did in fact increase changes of negative outcomes in order to help guide industry decision making. To better inform your own post-resuscitation practices, check out the full study below.

READ THE RESEARCH

The Threat That Burns On: Protecting Firefighters from Carcinogenic Exposure

Released on June 28, 2024 

Firefighters face significant risks from exposure to harmful carcinogens during and after responses. This year, we released “The Threat That Burns On: Carcinogenic Exposure and The Importance of Decontamination Procedures for Firefighters,” a white paper that outlines practical steps to reduce contamination on gear and equipment.

ACCESS THE WHITE PAPER

Longitudinal Changes in Emergency Medical Services Advanced Airway Management

Released on August 22, 2024

Playing a crucial role in resuscitating patients from life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac arrest, trauma and respiratory failure, airway management is an incredibly important intervention, yet its practice can shift greatly from agency to agency.

This study used ESO data and aimed to examine longitudinal trends in endotracheal intubation (ETI) and supraglottic airway (SGA) utilization nationally in order to better understand and improve airway management overall.

READ THE RESEARCH

When Do Minutes Matter? Prioritizing 911 Calls When Demand Exceeds Availability

Released on October 17, 2024

Responding to 911 calls is one of the most critical aspects of emergency care – but how do agencies decide which calls need immediate attention? This year, we released “When Do Minutes Matter? Prioritizing 911 Calls When Demand Exceeds Availability,” a white paper exploring a recent study in collaboration with eight EMS Systems and their dispatch centers examining 911 prioritization systems that shows only 10% of 911 calls require a lights-and-sirens response.

The report provides practical strategies for identifying high-priority calls and aligning resources to improve response times without compromising patient care.

ACCESS THE WHITE PAPER

The Effectiveness of Numerical Cincinnati Stroke Scale as a Stroke Severity Screening Tool

Released on November 19, 2024

The numerical Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) was developed to broadly screen for strokes and is one of the simpler scales available to do so. Previous research has shown that CPSS performs similarly to other screening tools designed to detect stroke severity.

This study used ESO research to add to the body of work surrounding those findings. It found that this simpler, numerical scale had comparable results to more complex screening tools including C-STAT, FAST-ED, and BE-FAST and could be a good alternative option for maintaining accuracy.

READ THE RESEARCH

Another Successful Wave 2024 Filled with Data-Driven Insights

Once a year, the brightest minds in first response reunite for four days of networking, collaboration, and thought-provoking sessions. Held in Austin, Texas, from April 2–5, Wave 2024 brought together 1,275 attendees, 74 sessions, and countless opportunities to explore how data can empower teams and improve outcomes.

This year’s conference highlighted topics such as responder safety, operational efficiency, and improving patient outcomes. Attendees left with actionable insights and strategies to bring back to their organizations.

Missed Wave 2024 or want to revisit the highlights? Check out our recap blogs for the top insights from the conference:

Get the top fire and EMS insights from Wave 2024 

Get the top hospital insights from Wave 2024 

Want to know what makes Wave a must-attend event? Watch the video to hear directly from attendees.

Want to join fellow data enthusiasts from across the country and bring home actionable insights for improving your organization’s process? It’s time to grab your ticket for Wave 2025 happening in Austin, Texas from April 22-25, 2025.

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Looking Ahead

As we close out 2024, we’re turning our attention to what lies ahead. The coming year will bring exciting new research projects, innovative tools, and continued collaboration with our customers to tackle emerging challenges in the public health and safety industries.

The post Year in Review: ESO Research and Data That Shaped 2024 appeared first on ESO.

The importance of early CPR

The earlier CPR is performed, the better the outcome. Bystander CPR has been shown to double survival rates compared to cases where no CPR is performed prior to EMS arrival. Early CPR plays an important role in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Chain of Survival, which emphasizes recognizing symptoms quickly, activating 911, performing CPR, and practicing early defibrillation and post-resuscitation care.

One of the biggest findings in the 2024 ESO EMS Index regarding bystander CPR rates is that they vary by background. Asian and White patients received bystander CPR at 23%, Hispanic or Latino patients at 22% and Black or African American patients least often at 17%. Gender disparities were also found. Women received bystander CPR at 21%, whereas men were at a higher rate of 23% of the time.  

So, what can your agency do?  

In order to improve bystander CPR in your community, you should first identify the areas with the lowest rates through geospatial analysis and then set up outreach initiatives in those parts of town. Partnering with organizations like the American Heart Association and local high schools can help expand access to training while using techniques such as hands-on CPR and AHA’s “No, No, Go,” are incredibly effective and easier to memorize.  

In addition to increasing educational opportunities, you can partner with local establishments (e.g., grocery stores, places of worship, athletic facilities) to increase access to AEDs. Lastly, by using female and racially diverse mannequins in your training, you can help address biases head-on.  

Opioid use disorder and EMS response

Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a significant public health challenge across the United States. In 2023, EMS clinicians responded to 236,000 calls for suspected opioid overdoses, representing nearly 2% of all EMS calls nationwide. Approximately 65% of these patients were male, with 63% documented as White non-Hispanic followed by 24% as Black or African American and non-Hispanic. 

The 2024 ESO EMS Index reveals that 82% of patients with suspected opioid overdoses received naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid effects. Of those, 56% required more than one dose.

So, what can your agency do?  

Similar to bystander CPR, geospatial awareness is helpful in improving suspected opioid overdose outcomes. By using data to identify the areas with the greatest needs, you can develop more targeted harm reduction strategies, including take-home naloxone kits and fentanyl test strips, and improve access to follow-up services and referrals for patients that refuse transport. 

When it comes to post-opioid overdose protocols and naloxone administration, it’s important to stay updated on the most current recommendations and establish protocols that avoid inducing withdrawal symptoms.  

Partnering with EDs to offer early buprenorphine initiation can also be effective in treating withdrawal symptoms, resulting in higher rates of engagement and retention in recovery treatment programs. You can also measure and monitor symptoms using the clinical opiate withdrawal scale (COWS).  

Lastly, encouraging therapeutic communication amongst clinicians can help to prevent high-risk refusal from patients who would greatly benefit from ED transport 

Get more proactive strategies for healthier communities

The insights from the 2024 ESO EMS Index offer a roadmap for EMS agencies to identify gaps, improve care, and address health disparities. Whether it’s increasing bystander CPR rates through better training and outreach or developing targeted interventions for opioid misuse, prevention can make a life-saving difference.

Want to learn more? Check out the 2024 ESO EMS Index for more.   

The post Preventative Care Strategies for Healthier Communities appeared first on ESO.

 

“Integrating community paramedicine into our community has helped give a voice to people that have historically been marginalized.”

James McLaughlin

Community Paramedic Director at Ute Pass Regional Health Service District

Covering over 500 square miles of rural territory surrounding Pikes Peak, the Ute Pass Regional Health Service team is tasked with providing outstanding care for a widely underserved population in often remote mountainous terrain.  

With a 50-mile drive between some residents and basic healthcare, their area is considered a “healthcare desert.” A lack of resources can sometimes put community members and providers into a difficult situation when their need for care is urgent –with community members having to decide on waiting around for a potentially costly ambulance ride and providers having to decide on how to best allocate limited emergency resources.  

As a team dedicated to providing holistic care that’s both high-quality and individualized to each member of their community, Ute Pass’s Health Service team developed a Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program centered on community paramedicine to better support their mission and alleviate difficult decision-making. 

 

“I see people who often feel unseen. I hear people that often feel unheard and helping them find the access to care that they deserve as a basic human right is meaningful to me.”

James McLaughlin

Community Paramedic Director at Ute Pass Regional Health Service District

Supporting the whole patient (not just the injury) 

Through their home program, Ute Pass provides alternate response options, including a community paramedic sent out directly to patients for basic, non-emergent care, or full exams with a board-certified emergency physician via telehealth. Through this approach, the team is not only able to treat their patients with the best possible care for their full needs, but it has allowed them to: 

• Save their organization an average of $2,200 in hospital transportation costs per patient by providing the right care required 
• Utilize motivational interviewing and trauma-informed approaches for a more patient-centric experience 
• Empower patients to seek treatment when they would otherwise not  
• Use telehealth to increase access to medicine for isolated populations  
• Ensure resources go to the most-pressing emergencies  

To hear more on how mobile integrated health has transformed healthcare in the Ute Pass community directly from their team, watch the full video.  

 

“This isn’t idealism. We know it’s working. And how do we know it’s working? Because we’re collecting the data to tell the story.”

James McLaughlin

Community Paramedic Director at Ute Pass Regional Health Service District

The post How Ute Pass’ MIH program centers care around the patient appeared first on ESO.

Here are a few highlights of how this new functionality can support your care delivery: 

Specific Workflows for Critical Care Documentation 

Documenting patient information in fast-paced situations, as well as long-term and complex transports, can be time-consuming. Our easy-to-use workflows allow for instant input and retrieval of data to speed up critical care documentation for critical patient situations, including for flight and neonates. Intended to be used from anywhere, the system works offline and syncs when reconnected, so no data is lost during transit. 

Real-time Access to Patient Data 

When every second counts, having the right information at the right time matters. With this upgrade, your team gets real-time access to patient and critical care data like neonatal assessments or lab values for the patient so you can make informed decisions while on the go. 

Connections with CAD, Billing, and Patient Outcomes 

Seeing the full picture of a patient’s care is key, and new technology is making the response for prehospital care faster and more efficient than ever. Critical care teams can now access patient data from multiple sources, such as computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and billing systems, along with ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE) to understand patient outcomes across the continuum of care. All of these things add up to faster response times and improved chances for positive patient outcomes. 

Advanced Reporting and Analytics 

Understanding the data behind your care drives ongoing improvement. With this upgrade, all data points for Critical Care are now captured as discrete elements, available within ESO Insights–rather than being noted in narrative form, where data can’t be effectively analyzed or reported on. This provides in-depth analytics on patient outcomes, medication usage, and protocol adherence, helping clinical leaders make strategic, data-driven decisions to refine care quality and efficiency. 

We believe this ESO EHR functionality will set a new standard for critical care, supporting clinicians in providing the highest level of care when it matters most. 

Stay tuned for further updates, and feel free to reach out to our team for more information on how your team can leverage these new features. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of patient-centered care for our communities. 

Interested in seeing the Critical Care capabilities (and more!) within ESO EHR firsthand?  

Register for a demo and discover why ESO EHR is the ePCR your team will want to use.  

See ESO EHR in Action

The post How ESO EHR Makes Critical Care Documentation Easier appeared first on ESO.