PRE-SOLICITATION SYNOPSISNotice Date:15 April 2013Solicitation Number:DTNH22-13-R-00705Response Due:20 June 2013BACKGROUND:Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems are committed to improving health outcomes from traffic crashes and other emergencies.

Currently, most existing treatment protocols

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for prehospital care are based on a combination of customary practices and the judgments of individual medical directors.

This can result in adjacent EMS jurisdictions with similar populations and resources that have different guidelines for specific clinical conditions.

Variations in clinical practice are known to result in variations in patient outcomes.

A growing body of medical research has clearly demonstrated that improved health outcomes result from the use of treatment protocols based on systematic reviews of the scientific evidence, rather than those based on individual clinical judgment.

In order to achieve optimal outcomes for traffic crashes and other medical emergencies, it is important to promote widespread adoption of prehospital guidelines that are based upon the best medical evidence available.In 2008, the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS) and the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) cosponsored, with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a national meeting to develop a National prehospital Evidence-Based Guideline (EBG) Model Process.

This model process has already been used to successfully develop guidelines for pediatric seizures, prehospital pain management, and the use of air ambulances to transport trauma patients from the scene of injury.

The EBG Model Process uses a comprehensive, systems approach that requires the multidisciplinary collaboration of EMS and medical professionals from many disciplines.This project endeavors to improve the quality of prehospital emergency care provided at the local level by supporting a national EMS or medical organization to develop a sustainable National Prehospital EBG Implementation Strategy.

This Strategy will engage EMS stakeholders at all levels to help identify sustainable approaches to promoting, developing and implementing EBGs.

Numerous national EMS organizations and State EMS Offices are currently engaged in a wide variety of activities that promote the delivery of effective prehospital emergency care and help to improve the quality of the care provided in the prehospital setting.

These activities include, but are not limited to, protocol review and adoption, training of field providers, the evaluation of the quality of patient care and provider compliance with local protocols, provision of provider training and certification, and the sponsoring of scientific conferences that report the scientific findings on which EBGs are based.

While the missions of many EMS and medical stakeholder organizations support the use of EBGs, there is no coordinated National Prehospital EBG Implementation Strategy to mobilize these stakeholders to work together and to leverage their resources to promote more widespread adoption of EBGs.

This project supports improved health outcomes for patients injured in motor vehicle crashes and those who have other health emergencies, by supporting a national EMS or medical stakeholder organization to assume a leadership role and foster increased "buy-in" and ownership among EMS stakeholder organizations in the development of a National Prehospital EBG Implementation Strategy.PROJECT PURPOSE AND GOALS:Purpose:NHTSA will support a Grantee with expertise in evidence-based medicine and prehospital medical direction that will develop a National Prehospital Evidence-based Guideline Strategy with input and assistance from the national EMS community.NHTSA envisions that the final Strategy will be posted on the GranteeÂ’s Website and made available for the EMS community.

NHTSA will provide technical and support to assist the Grantee with the initial phases of this process.In developing the National Prehospital Evidence-based Guideline Strategy (the Strategy), the Grantee shall identify and collaborate with other EMS stakeholder organizations whose missions support the development and implementation of evidence-based clinical guidelines to improve the quality of prehospital care in the United States.

Working collaboratively with these organizations, the Grantee will identify logical and financially sustainable “action steps” consistent with the National Prehospital EBG Model Process and supporting the recommendations of the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC).

For each action step identified, the plan will identify suggested organizational partners, a target completion date, and describe available resources.Goals:This project will support the involvement of national EMS organizations in the development of a comprehensive written strategy describing a sustainable processto promote the development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines for prehospital care in the United States.

The objectives of this project are to:
1.

Identify State, national, tribal, and local EMS stakeholder organizations whose missions include improving prehospital clinical care.

2.

Develop mechanisms to for the Grantee to build and sustain relationships among the identified EMS stakeholder organizations and encourage their participation in the development of the National Prehospital EBG Strategy.

3.

Outline ways to expand existing opportunities to conduct scientific research supporting the development and implementation of EBGs and to develop opportunities to present research findings to diverse EMS stakeholder audiences.

4.

Identify ways to promote interest in EBG development among emergency physicians, prehospital care providers, and EMS officials.

5.

Identify pathways to promote the incorporation of newly developed EBGs into EMS education standards and continued competency training, and to stimulate the development of educational and training resources for use by EMS educators as well as by State and local EMS agencies.

6.

Promote the dissemination and implementation of EBGs through actions such as submitting guidelines to the National Guidelines Clearinghouse.Period of Performance:The Period of Performance is from the date of award through twenty-four (24) months.

All work required herein shall be completed within the twenty-four (24) months of this Cooperative Agreement.Award:The Government intends to award a Cooperative Agreement resulting from the solicitation, with or without discussion, to the responsive Grantee whose application, conforming to the solicitation, is most advantageous to the Government based on the evaluation factors contained in the Statement of Work.

Applicants are responsible for monitoring the www.grants.gov internet site for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any).

Potential Applicants will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any).

Requests for paper copies of the RFA will not be accepted.

The estimated date of release of the solicitation is on or about April 15, 201 3. The anticipated Cooperative Agreement award date is expected on or before September 30, 201 3. Contracting Office Address:U.

S.

Department of TransportationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)1200 New Jersey Avenue SENPO-320 – W51-308Washington, DC 20590, United States