NEMSQA EMS Compass 2.0 Measure Set
History of EMS Compass
The EMS Compass Measure Set was originally developed by the National Association of State EMS Officials, as a project funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). After a rigorous research and development period, fourteen candidate measures were released to the public for testing in 2016.
NEMSQA and EMS Compass
In 2017, NHTSA awarded the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) a contract to continue the EMS Performance Measures initiative to include review of the candidate measures and explore development of trauma related performance measures, develop a sustainability model for the initiative and potentially form an organization focused on EMS quality measurement. Out of this initiative, the National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) was formed. Now its own organization, NEMSQA reviewed and revised the EMS Compass Measure Set, to ensure it is of utmost value to the EMS community. Many members of NEMSQA and the EMS Community were involved in the EMS Compass Measure Re-Specification project, forming a Technical Expert Panel.
Re-Specified Measure Set
In August 2019, the NEMSQA Measure Development Committee and Board of Trustees approved the eleven measures included in the table below. These measures were reviewed and re-specified from their original release in the EMS Compass program. Using NEMSQA’s Measure Development Process, the measures went through rigorous research, specification, and testing phases. The testing phase included a public comment period.
It is not required that an agency use all measures in the measure set. Agencies and EMS professionals are encouraged to choose measures most meaningful to their patient population and implement those measures to improve performance and patient care. Data should be collected for an initial baseline period and results used to develop meaningful interventions to improve quality of care.
EMS Compass 2.0 Measures
The following measures have been re-specified and approved for inclusion in the NEMSQA EMS Compass 2.0 Measure Set. Resources pertaining to each measure can be downloaded using the links in the table below. Additional resources developed to assist with measure use and implementation are posted beneath the table. Please note that some of these resources are posted both as individual measure packages within in the table and as resource-specific packages beneath the table.
| Measure ID | Description | Type | National Quality Strategy Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hypoglycemia-01 | Treatment Administered for Hypoglycemia | Process | Clinical Process – Effectiveness |
| Pediatics-01 | Pediatric Respiratory Assessment | Process | Clinical Process – Effectiveness |
| Pediatrics-02 | Administration of Beta Agonist for Pediatric Asthma | Process | Clinical Process – Effectiveness |
| Pediatrics-03 | Documentation of Estimated Weight in Kilograms | Process | Patient Safety |
| Seizure-02 | Patient with Status Epilepticus Receiving Intervention | Process | Clinical Process – Effectiveness |
| Stroke-01 | Suspected Stroke Receiving Prehospital Stroke Assessment | Process | Clinical Process – Effectiveness |
| Trauma-01 | Injured Patients Assessed for Pain | Process | Patient Experience |
| Trauma-03 | Effectiveness of Pain Management for Injured Patients | Outcome | Patient Experience |
| Trauma-04 | Trauma Patients Transported to a Trauma Center | Process | Clinical Process – Effectiveness |
| Safety-01 | Use of Lights and Sirens During Response to Scene | Process | Patient Safety |
| Safety-02 | Use of Lights and Sirens During Transport | Process | Patient Safety |
- Measure Specification Table: A quick-reference table that includes broad-view measure specifications (i.e., numerator and denominator criteria) for each measure.
- Measure Worksheets: Detailed reference sheets for each measure, which include specifications, clinical guidelines, and rationale.
- Measure Worksheets with NEMSIS Pseudocode: Measure worksheets with guidance for mapping measures/data to the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) registry.
- Clinical Quality Measure Flows: Graphical flowcharts demonstrating measure logic and the data collection process for each measure.
- Project Summary with Measure Narratives: An overview of the EMS Compass 2.0 project and narratives for each measure, which include systems implications.
- Frequently Asked Questions: Answers to commonly asked questions surrounding EMS Compass 2.0, measures, and quality.
- Change Log: A reference table that documents changes made in the EMS Compass 2.0 measures during the re-specification project. This table can be helpful for entities who were using the original EMS Compass 2.0 measures.
- Fact Sheet: An info page explaining why agencies and systems should migrate from EMS Compass legacy/candidate measures to the 2.0 Measure Set.
To download all EMS Compass 2.0 measure information resources at once, click here.
For IT Professionals and Implementation Leads
NEMSQA has developed the following electronic specifications and artifacts to assist IT professionals and/or implementation leads with measure implementation and data extraction. These artifacts may be downloaded and used as needed for measure implementation.
| Measure ID | Description | Technical Files |
|---|---|---|
| Hypoglycemia-01 | Treatment Administered for Hypoglycemia | Technical Measure Package |
| Pediatics-01 | Pediatric Respiratory Assessment | Technical Measure Package |
| Pediatrics-02 | Administration of Beta Agonist for Pediatric Asthma | Technical Measure Package |
| Pediatrics-03 | Documentation of Estimated Weight in Kilograms | Technical Measure Package |
| Seizure-02 | Patient with Status Epilepticus Receiving Intervention | Technical Measure Package |
| Stroke-01 | Suspected Stroke Receiving Prehospital Stroke Assessment | Technical Measure Package |
| Trauma-01 | Injured Patients Assessed for Pain | Technical Measure Package |
| Trauma-03 | Effectiveness of Pain Management for Injured Patients | Technical Measure Package |
| Trauma-04 | Trauma Patients Transported to a Trauma Center | Technical Measure Package |
| Safety-01 | Use of Lights and Sirens During Response to Scene | Technical Measure Package |
| Safety-02 | Use of Lights and Sirens During Transport | Technical Measure Package |