The Section of Out-of-Hospital and Disaster Medicine's Research Branch is founded on the value of scientific research for the further development of EMS systems and services to improve patient outcomes. Its work focuses on all potential outcomes, including death, disease, disability, discomfort, dissatisfaction and destitution, with the ultimate goal of improving prehospital care and patient outcomes. The Branch has partnered with a number of local and regional agencies, as well as federally-funded projects, to conduct research and is recognized nationally for contributions to the EMS literature. Several Section faculty sit on the Medical College of Wisconsin's Institutional Review Board (IRB), where they assist in ensuring that medical research performed at MCW abides by strict ethical standards. Unique to Milwaukee County, the EMS provider agencies have designated the Medical College of Wisconsin IRB for Federal-Wide Assurance of Protection of Human Subjects. This has allowed many EMS providers to receive research ethics training. These providers have participated in a number of research projects, including clinical trials that have utilized exception to informed consent.
The Branch is eager to work with new partners and to facilitate investigations that meet the Section's goals to improve out-of-hospital and disaster medical care. For more, information, please contact the Branch (see email address below) and see the Department of Emergency Medicine's research website. For information on Milwaukee County EMS research policy, click on the link to the Milwaukee County EMS webpage.