Step 1: EMS System Assessment & SWOT Analysis
An EMS system assessment provides a review of the emergency care environment in your state; environmental driving forces; changing demographics; political, social, and economic conditions, as well as available and missing resources. This step is often referred to as a SWOT analysis. It looks at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that could potentially impact achieving the performance measures.
The baseline data collected for each performance measures can provide valuable information regarding the status of your system. The baseline data provides a foundation for the development of your program’s goals and objectives, and can be used for evaluating progress towards achieving these goals. Once baseline data has been collected and analyzed, a SWOT analysis can be a useful tool to identify strategies to make improvements in each of the performance measures. For example, you may have found through collection of baseline data that only 20% of your state’s hospitals have written agreements and guidelines regarding the transfer of children to higher levels of care. By conducting a SWOT analysis with key stakeholders, your program can help identify root causes and ways to overcome barriers. Conversely, a SWOT analysis could be conducted with EMS training coordinators, state EMS office administrators, and others to assess the adequacy of current pediatric training requirements for EMS providers and how these requirements might be strengthened.
Some of the important aspects of conducting an effective SWOT analyses include:
- process is facilitated by an outside or neutral party
- planning includes representation from all parties or organizations with a stake or interest in the outcome
- all parties and their input will be regarded equally
- discussion stays focused on the “system” rather than on individual people
- discussion does not drift into unrelated topics
- plans developed from the SWOT analysis are done by the group, and any revisions to the plans are done with input from the group
SWOT results can specifically be used to develop goals and objectives to address barriers identified and make system improvements in performance measure areas. There are a number of excellent resources for conducting SWOT analyses and facilitation techniques (see the SWOT Analysis Template)
Using the SMART approach is a helpful framework for developing your project goals and objectives. Goals and Objectives should be:
S Specific
M Measurable
A Attainable
R Results oriented/Relevant
T Time bound