Air Medical Services & Access to Emergency Medical & Trauma Care

This research focus area is directed toward improving the effective use of air medical services when rapid response and advanced emergency medical care are needed at the scene of a serious motor vehicle crash.  
Information transmitted in real time from a crashed vehicle via Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) systems (such as OnStar), will soon be used to estimate the probability of serious injury to vehicle occupants.  Efforts are now underway to develop the networks and protocols needed to provide both public safety (police, fire) and emergency medical providers (air & ground ambulances, hospitals & trauma centers) with access to actionable ACN information in real-time. The research performed in this focus area, support these efforts.  Briefly stated, the objectives of this focus area are:

1. Maintain the national 'Atlas and Database of Air Medical Services (ADAMS).'
2. Conduct empirical and computational research to assess motor vehicle crash victim access to timely, high-level, emergency medical care throughout the U.S.
3. Support development of system upgrades, tools and protocols to speed response to these crash scenes and improve real-time triage and transport decision-making in the field.