Assessing EMS scope of practice for utility and risk: the New Mexico EMS Interventions Assessment Project, Phase One results.

Introduction: Few emergency medical services (EMS) interventions in New Mexico have been assessed for efficacy, potential harm, or potential benefit. There is concern that many interventions added over the years may be outdated, harmful, or ineffective in the EMS setting. A formal process for reviewing the state EMS scope of practice using literature review and expert consensus is discussed.

Methodological issues in the surveillance of poisoning, illicit drug overdose, and heroin overdose deaths in new Mexico.

New Mexico leads the nation in poisoning mortality, which has increased during the 1990s in New Mexico and the United States. Most of this increase has been due to unintentional deaths from illicit drug overdoses. Medical examiner and/or vital statistics data have been used to track poisoning deaths.