Physicians Flock to Phoenix

     In January, I attended the annual National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) conference in Phoenix. This year's meeting was extremely successful, with close to 600 registrants, making it the largest audience in NAEMSP's history.

     There was a deliberate focus on state-of-the-art concepts arising from the research arena, and this was accompanied by a number of speakers addressing the challenge of research in EMS and simultaneously discussing the science behind the major medical issues of the day: operationalizing of 12-lead EKGs and the pros and cons of regionalization; the benefits of prehospital CPAP; the contribution of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium to advances in resuscitation and the challenges of consent in performance of EMS research. If the robust participation at this year's meeting was any indication, the EMS community (physicians and field providers alike) are hungry for stimulating evidence-based discussions of prehospital medicine.

     This year's program drew considerable international attention, with participants from Canada, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Mexico and other locations. The audience was privy to a revealing presentation on the London bus and underground bombings of July 2005, which yielded important lessons on the management of urban terrorist incidents.

     Several dedicated devotees of EMS and NAEMSP were also recognized. Beth Adams, a devoted leader in NAEMSP and frequent author, was deeply touched and surprised to be awarded the Keith Neely Outstanding Contribution to EMS Award; Captain Dan Kavanaugh of EMS for Children was warmly welcomed for his service as administrator of the EMS-C program with the Friends of EMS Award; and Dr. Roger White was given the prestigious Ronald D. Stewart Award in recognition of his pioneering EMS achievements in Minnesota.

     For more on the association, visit www.naemsp.org.