Where There is No EMS: Lay Providers in Emergency Medical Services Care - EMS as a Public Health Priority

• Published in: Prehospital and disaster medicine Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 593 - 595
• Main Authors: Debenham, Sierra, Fuller, Matthew, Stewart, Matthew, Price, Raymond R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01-12-2017; Jems Publishing Company, Inc
• Subjects: Developing countries; Disasters; Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; Guest Editorials; Health care delivery; Health services; Health technology assessment; LDCs; Public health; Traffic accidents & safety; Uganda; under-developed countries; traffic accidents; Emergency Medical Services; LMIC low- and middle-income country; HIC high-income country; EMS Emergency Medical Systems
• ISSN: 1049-023X; 1945-1938
• DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X17006811

By 2030, road traffic accidents are projected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, with 90% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While high-quality, prehospital trauma care is crucial to reduce the number of trauma-related deaths, effective Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) are limited or absent in many LMICs. Although lay providers have long been recognized as the front lines of informal trauma care in countries without formal EMS, few efforts have been made to capitalize on these networks. We suggest that lay providers can become a strong foundation for nascent EMS through a four-fold approach: strengthening and expanding existing lay provider training programs; incentivizing lay providers; strengthening locally available first aid supply chains; and using technology to link lay provider networks.
Debenham
S
,
Fuller
M
,
Stewart
M
,
Price
RR
. Where there is no EMS: lay providers in Emergency Medical Services care - EMS as a public health priority. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):593–595.