INTRODUCTION

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY
As part of the revision project for the EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Paramedic: National Standard Curricula (NSC), the contractor was directed to develop the EMT-Paramedic and EMT-Intermediate Continuing Education, National Guidelines. The guideline document, developed as a substitute for traditional refresher courses, gives the reader an overview of competency assurance mechanisms to promote the delivery of medically appropriate patient care. The guidelines document defined refresher programs as follows:

Refresher programs are a review of the original program in a condensed number of hours. While ideal for the purpose of remediation, they are not intended to expand the cognitive or psychomotor ability above the entry level. Therefore, refresher courses should not be considered a means of continued expansion of cognitive information and introduction of new psychomotor skills. They are not intended to deliver relevant contemporary information to practitioners who are currently active in the field.

Although the guidelines document is widely used by the EMS community, the definition for refresher programs caused the EMS community to ask that refresher courses be developed. A contract to develop the refresher courses went to the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE) and they convened a task force of EMS stakeholders inclusive of regulators, physicians, association representatives, providers, and educators.

Some challenges undertaken by the task force were:

1.	The development of a refresher program based on scientific data. 
2.	A program that could be delivered in different formats. 
3.	A program flexible enough to meet the specific needs of different systems while maintaining the intent of a refresher program. 
4.	The need to incorporate relevant contemporary material. 

The task force used EMS provider practice data, an EMS literature review, expert opinion, and a final EMS community review to develop the refresher programs. Previous versions of EMS refresher programs have been based on a perceived need and not on scientific evidence. With this in mind, the Refresher Development Task Force relied heavily on the findings of the 1999 NREMT Practice Analysis and the following documents:
•	The EMS Agenda for the Future 
•	The EMS Education Agenda for the Future, A Systems Approach 
•	The National EMS Education and Practice Blueprint 
•	EMT-Paramedic and EMT-Intermediate Continuing Education, National Guidelines 
•	1999 EMT-Intermediate National Standard Curriculum 

Each of the above documents was created as individual projects, but they are designed to work as a systems approach to EMS and integrate with one another. Contact the NHTSA EMS Division to obtain copies of these resources.

In 1994, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) performed the first nationally conducted practice analysis of EMS. The information obtained in the first analysis was used in the development of the 1998 EMT-Paramedic and 1999 EMT-Intermediate: NSC. In 1999, the NREMT conducted its second practice analysis.

The 1999 NREMT Practice Analysis is a scientific, randomized national sampling of practicing EMT-Paramedic and EMT-Intermediates. The EMT’s participating in the practice analysis provided data on 123 various patient assessments focusing on patient care and operational tasks that make up the day-to-day functions of the providers. Each provider indicated the frequency they performed each task and the potential for harm they experienced accomplishing each task. A Practice Analysis Committee reviewed the data, validated the responses, and published the data in a peer reviewed medical journal. The NREMT Practice Analysis Committee used this data to develop a plan that grouped the identified tasks into the following six content areas:
•	Airway and Breathing 
•	Cardiology 
•	Medical 
•	Trauma 
•	Pediatrics/Obstetrics 
•	Operations 

The specific tasks from the practice analysis are listed in appendix A. The NREMT supplied the data from their practice analysis to the EMT-Paramedic refresher development task force. This information was used to help determine specific content for the refresher course.

The refresher task force used the NREMT data to identify tasks that are infrequent and may cause potential harm to the patient if delayed, performed improperly, or omitted when providing care. The panel decided to "refresh" these tasks since patient outcome is jeopardized if the task is not correctly performed. An example of this would be "Provide care to an infant or child with cardiac arrest." The practice analysis categorizes this task as number 113 of 123 for frequency, but lists it as the number one task for potential for harm. The panel agreed and decided to include this task as a mandatory part of the refresher program. 

Likewise, a task such as "Provide care to a patient with a painful, swollen, deformed extremity" is listed as task number 98 in frequency and number 100 as potential for harm. This task is not included as a mandatory part of the refresher program. Other tasks that are performed frequently and lack potential for harm are not included as a mandatory part of this refresher program. Again, the refresher course only targets infrequently performed tasks with a high potential for harm.

Upon further review of the practice analysis, the task force identified a few frequently performed tasks that have a very high potential for harm. The task force decided to also include all tasks with a high potential for harm, regardless of their frequency of performance.

Another tool used in the development of this refresher program was an EMS literature review. The literature review found issues not identified by the data from the NREMT Practice Analysis. The task force also sought expert opinion and feedback from the EMS community to identify additional course content.