Families
Care level, BLS, ALS, call taker, handover.
Glossary
Ambulance terms, in plain words.
The words you will hear from a call taker, a crew or a hospital, explained in a sentence or two.
- 1Every term
- 2Explained simply
- 3In one place
- 4Searchable
- 0124 termsAnd growing
- 02SearchableFind a word fast
- 03Plain wordsNo jargon
- 04SuggestA missing term
A to Z
Every term
- ABHA
- Ayushman Bharat Health Account. A 14 digit health ID that lets a patient link and share their health records, with consent.
- AIS 125
- The national standard for how road ambulances in India are built and equipped.
- ALS
- Advanced Life Support. An ambulance with advanced equipment and a trained crew for patients who need monitoring and intervention on the way.
- BLS
- Basic Life Support. An ambulance with oxygen, first aid and a trained crew, for stable patients who need care and a safe ride.
- Call taker
- The trained person who answers the emergency number, asks the key questions and starts the case.
- Care level
- How much medical support a patient needs on the way: BLS, ALS or ICU.
- Case record
- One digital record of a ride, from the first call to the handover at the hospital.
- Command centre
- The team and systems that answer calls, allocate vehicles and follow every trip live.
- Defibrillator
- A device that checks the heart rhythm and can deliver a shock to restore it.
- Dispatch
- Sending a suitable ambulance to a patient once the call has been assessed.
- DPDP Act
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, India's law on personal data.
- EMT
- Emergency Medical Technician. The crew member trained to give care inside the ambulance.
- Handover
- The moment the crew passes the patient and their information to the hospital team.
- ICDC
- Integrated command and dispatch. One centre handling calls and vehicles across a region.
- ICU ambulance
- An ambulance equipped like a moving intensive care unit, for critically ill patients and transfers.
- Interfacility transfer
- Moving a patient from one hospital to another, often planned in advance.
- NABH
- National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, which sets accreditation standards for hospitals.
- NAS 2026
- The National Ambulance Services Guidelines 2026, on how ambulance services are organised and run.
- Patient transport ambulance
- A vehicle for patients who need a safe ride lying down but little or no medical care on the way.
- Pre arrival notice
- Information sent to the receiving hospital before the ambulance reaches the emergency bay.
- Pulse oximeter
- A clip on device that measures oxygen in the blood and the pulse rate.
- Triage
- Assessing how urgent a case is, so the right help goes first.
- Ventilator
- A machine that supports or takes over breathing for a patient.
- Verified fleet
- An ambulance operator whose vehicles, equipment, crews and documents have been checked by RISA.
No term matches that search. Write to contact@smartambulance.com to suggest one.
Most useful for
Terms you are likely to hear
Hospitals
Pre arrival notice, case record, NABH, interfacility transfer.
Operators
AIS 125, NAS 2026, verified fleet, dispatch.
Emergency · Toll free · 24x7
Missing a word?
Write to us and we will add it to the glossary.
Questions and answers
The glossary, answered
In an emergency, call 1800 108 1800 at any hour. For anything else, write to contact@smartambulance.com.
Visit the help centreCan I suggest a term?
Yes. Write to contact@smartambulance.com.
Are these legal definitions?
No. They are plain explanations. Refer to official texts for legal definitions.