CENTER FOR CLINICAL OBSERVATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS

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NEMSIS

Organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Description

The National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) is a US-based national EMS database recognized as the universal resource for patient-care information resulting from 911 emergency calls.

Specifically, NEMSIS provides the framework for collecting, storing, and sharing standardized EMS data from States nationwide. These EMS data have been used for epidemiology and research studies as well as by local, state, and national EMS stakeholders to more accurately assess EMS needs and performance, as well as support better strategic planning for the EMS systems. In addition, data from NEMSIS is also used to help benchmark performance, determine the effectiveness of clinical interventions, and facilitate cost-benefit analyses.

Of important note is that the EMS data available in NEMSIS database is transport and not individual level data, which means that multiple transports may relate to a single person. The linkage between transports and patients is not available in the public data release.

Key Information

Dataset Contents
Data Date Span 2017-2024
Transport Count 324,784,318
Status of Dataset Updates Active
Dataset Type Emergency Medical Service Activations
Context Emergency Medical Service Activations
Region United States
Age Restrictions N/A
Access & Availability
Native Data Structure Custom
Hosting Hosted by data user
Database File Size 1 TB
Availability Restrictions None
Data Identifiability
Controlled Tier HIPAA: De-identified, Common Rule: De-identified

References and Resources:

Relevant Publications

  • Acharya P, Hurson T, Annesi C, Carico C, Lammers D, Mann NC, Levy M, Jarman MP, Kerby JD, Jansen JO, Holcomb JB, Hashmi ZG. Unequal access to timely care: Geographic variation in prehospital time among injured patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock. Transfusion. 2026 Jan 23. doi: 10.1111/trf.70086. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41575003.
  • Peters GA, Allerhand T, Hayes JM, Misra AJ, Walsh LV, Akbar A, Cash RE, Goldberg SA. Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation Use in the Prehospital Setting: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Analysis of State Protocols and Nationwide Clinical Practice. J Emerg Med. 2026 Mar;82:120-127. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.12.023. Epub 2026 Jan 4. PMID: 41713251.

Last updated Apr 30, 2026