Emergency medical services

The public health approach to injuries involves not only prevention but also the care, management, and rehabilitation of those affected by injuries. Acute care and management should be a critical component of any national or regional strategy to address injuries. The planning, development and implementation of coordinated emergency medical services within an effective trauma system has been shown to reduce fatality in high-income countries. Many factors, from the recognition of injuries and trauma, to efficient transportation, appropriate clinical management and the use of cost-effective interventions, are important for such systems in resource poor contexts. In general, emergency medical systems are either non-existent or evolving in most low-income and many middle-income countries. Therefore, global efforts to promote pre-hospital transport and acute care in developing countries are very appropriate.