Seattle and King County - 2023 EMT Patient Care Guidelines

Sep 23, 2026

Seattle and King County 2023 EMT Patient Care Guidelines provides structured, guideline-based best practices to support EMTs in delivering quality prehospital care. The document emphasizes adherence to ensure patient safety and professional protection, highlighting rewarding responsibilities such as assisting the wounded, comforting the distressed, and providing therapy and aid. It includes an extensive table of contents covering ALS indicators, medical and trauma categories, policies and procedures, medication administration, studies, appendix resources, and a detailed index for rapid reference.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages148

Reading Time6 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Advanced Life Support (ALS) Indicators

Medicine

Abdominal Complaints

Altered Level of Consciousness

Anaphylaxis / Allergy

Asthma

Behavioral

Behavioral: Acute Behavioral Disturbance

Chest Discomfort

Code ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome)

Cold-Related

Congestive Heart Failure

Diabetes

Drowning

Heat-Related

OBGYN: Obstetrics

OBGYN: Gynecology

Peds Fever and Infection

Respiratory

Seizures

Sepsis

Stroke

Trauma

Bandaging and Dressing

Bleeding Control

Burns

Eye Injuries

Head and Neck

Orthopedic

Soft Tissue

Policies & Procedures

Airway Management

Bag-Valve Mask

Cardiac Arrest

CPR

End of Life Issues

Epistaxis (Nosebleed)

Helicopter Procedures

Monitoring: ECG

Multi-Casualty Incident (MCI)

Neurological Assessment

Noxious Stimuli

Oxygen Delivery

Oral Trauma

Patient Positioning

Patient Refusals

Patient Restraint

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Reportable Exposures

Physical Abuse and Neglect

Postural Vital Signs

Pulse Oximetry

Sick/Not Sick

Spinal Mobility Restriction

Splinting

Taser Dart Removal and Care

Transport and Destination

Medication Administration

Aspirin

Epi

Oral Glucose

Naloxone

Medication Assistance

Inhalers (MDI)

Nitro

Studies

FACT

Appendix

Pediatric Vital Signs

Abbreviations

Telephone Numbers

Index

Seattle and King County 2023 EMT Patient Care Guidelines These patient care guidelines are intended to help you in your job. Additional information and documents are on the EMS training site at: [www.emsonline.net](www.emsonline.net. These guidelines define)[. These guidelines define](www.emsonline.net. These guidelines define)[ ](www.emsonline.net. These guidelines define)[best practices for EMT care in Seattle & King](best practices for EMT care in Seattle & King)[ ](best practices for EMT care in Seattle & King)[County. It is important to realize that adherence](County. It is important to realize that adherence)[ ](County. It is important to realize that adherence)to these guidelines provides quality care to patients and protects you and your department. You have a very challenging job-but a very rewarding one. There can be nothing more satisfying than providing help to the wounded, sympathy to the distressed, relief to the anxious, comfort to the frightened, and most importantly therapy and aid to the sick and injured. Your skills and training literally bring life back from the brink of death. We applaud the fine job you do. Thomas Rea, MD, MPH King County Medical Program Director Michael Sayre, MD Medical Director Seattle Fire Department Appreciation for the EMS providers and physicians who reviewed and contributed to this revision. Table of Contents Advanced Life Support (ALS) Indicators 5 Medicine 10 Trauma 44 Policies & Procedures 56 Medications 114 Studies 126 Appendix 130 Index 138 Table of Contents Table of Contents Table of Contents Advanced Life Support (ALS) Indicators ....... 5 Medicine Abdominal Complaints ............................... 10 Altered Level of Consciousness ................. 11 Anaphylaxis / Allergy.................................. 13 Asthma ..................................................... 14 Behavioral .................................................. 15 Behavioral: Acute Behavioral Disturbance . 16 Chest Discomfort ....................................... 17 Code ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome) ..... 18 Cold-Related .............................................. 20 Congestive Heart Failure ........................... 22 Diabetes .................................................... 23 Drowning ................................................... 27 Heat-Related.............................................. 28 OBGYN: Obstetrics .................................... 29 OBGYN: Gynecology ................................. 33 Peds Fever and Infection ........................... 34 Respiratory ............................................... 36 Seizures ..................................................... 37 Sepsis ........................................................ 38 Stroke ........................................................ 39 Trauma Bandaging and Dressing ........................... 44 Bleeding Control ........................................ 45 Burns ......................................................... 48 Eye Injuries ................................................ 49 Head and Neck ......................................... 50 Orthopedic ................................................. 52 Soft Tissue ................................................. 54 2 Table of Contents (cont.) Policies & Procedures Airway Management .................................56 Bag-Valve Mask .......................................58 Cardiac Arrest...........................................60 CPR .........................................................69 End of Life Issues .....................................72 Epistaxis (Nosebleed) ...............................73 Helicopter Procedures ..............................74 Monitoring: ECG .......................................74 Multi-Casualty Incident (MCI) ...................75 Neurological Assessment ........................ 77

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Seattle and King County 2023 EMT Patient Care Guidelines?

The guidelines provide best practices to help EMTs in their job. Adhering to the guidelines supports quality patient care and helps protect EMTs and their departments.

What major clinical areas are covered in the guidelines?

The table of contents includes Advanced Life Support (ALS) indicators, medicine, and trauma. It also includes policies and procedures plus medication administration and medication assistance.

How can EMTs use the document for quick reference during care?

The document is organized with a detailed table of contents listing specific conditions and procedures, followed by appendix materials and an index to support fast lookup.

Sep 23, 2026

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