Drowning prevention. A case study in EMS epidemiology.

A central theme for EMS systems is the reduction of death and disability from emergency illnesses and injuries, with most systems focusing exclusively on treatment to fulfill their missions. Unfortunately, this has often resulted in the neglect or complete disregard of prevention, which actually may be the more powerful intervention strategy. Yet hopefully, as EMS systems begin to learn and embrace the principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI) in their organizational cultures, the advantages of prevention vs. treatment will become more apparent and internally recognized.