“Improving EMS Care of Patients and Families Near the End-of-life”

Principal Investigator: Amelia Breyre, M.D.

Dr. Breyre, Senior Scientist at the Levitt Center, received support from the CareStar Foundation for a series of projects to better understand Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinician experience and improve care for patients and families with serious illness in the out-of- hospital setting. Dr Breyre, in collaboration with Alameda County EMS Agency, developed and implemented a hospice protocol and accompanying educational module for paramedics and EMTs. The project is based in Alameda County and focuses on improving care in communities that are typically marginalized in their access to hospice and palliative care. She has presented her work both regionally (EMS Administrator’s Association of California, California Health Care Foundation Annual Conference) and nationally (National EMS Physicians Annual Conference). So far, Dr. Breyre’s work with CareStar has resulted in several publications:

·       Breyre AM, Taigman M, Salvucci A, Sporer K. Effect of a Mobile Integrated Hospice Healthcare Program on Emergency Medical Services Transport to the Emergency Department. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2021 Mar 30:1-8. PMID: 33689535.

·        Breyre AM, Bains G, Moore J, Siegel L, Sporer KA. Hospice and Comfort Care Patient Utilization of Emergency Medical Services. J Palliat Med. 2021 Aug 31. PMID: 34468199.

·        Breyre AM, Benesch T, Glomb NW, Sporer KA, Anderson WG. EMS Experience Caring and Communicating with Patients and Families with a Life-Limiting-Illness. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2021 Nov 8:1-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34669550.

·       Breyre AM, Vertelney H, Sporer KA, Davenport G, Issacs ED, Glomb NW. Emergency medical service interpretation of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) in cardiopulmonary arrest. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2022 Mar 17;3(2):e12705. doi: 10.1002/emp2.12705. PMID: 35342899; PMCID: PMC8931303.

·       Breyre AM, Sporer KA, Davenport G, Isaacs E, Glomb NW. Paramedic use of the Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) for medical intervention and transportation decisions. BMC Emerg Med. 2022 Aug 11;22(1):145. doi: 10.1186/s12873-022-00697-3. PMID: 35948964; PMCID: PMC9367154.