Prehospital care is definitely important in improving outcomes for patients with life-threatening conditions because in instances of acute life-threatening conditions, every second matters. The difference between a good outcome or a negative outcome such as morbidity or mortality could only be a few seconds. Therefore, it is definitely important that before arriving to the ED where hospital care can already be administered, pre-hospital care should be given because those acts and processes will help either prevent the patient from desaturating or could provide the initial care that is vital for survival. For example, a simple pre-hospital procedure like CPR could help preserve the oxygenation of the brain of an unconscious patient while waiting to arrive to the ED. Another example is when is comes to massive bleeding because by doing simple maneuvers like applying pressure or packing a wound, we can prevent a massive hemorrhage that could be devastating to the patient.
In other words, pre-hospital care is the important first step in treatment when it comes to acute life-threatening conditions. It is a s if it is an extension of hospital care and can give the patient better chances. On the aspect of improving access to health care, as seen in the documentary, pre-hospital care would have guided the residents living in the mountains as to what could be the best first step or initial treatment for these patients. Also, in instances of life-threatening conditions in the mountains, having a system with pre-hospital care can help improve the access to health care because these residents do not have to travel for hours just before they can reach for help. In addition, pre-hospital services can also help in triaging patients in these remote areas whether they really have to travel far to reach a hospital or if first aid and simple medical management can be done. Overall, pre-hospital services improves access to health care, specifically hospital care, by acting as an extension of the hospital in places that couldn’t be reached or accessed by health care.