Future directions for emergency medical services development in low- and middle-income countries

被引:1
|
作者
Delaney, Peter G. [1 ,2 ,6 ]
Moussally, Jon [3 ,4 ]
Wachira, Benjamin W. [5 ]
机构
[1] LFR Int, Makeni, Sierra Leone
[2] Cleveland Clin, Dept Orthopaed Surg, Cleveland, OH USA
[3] TraumaLink, Dhaka, Bangladesh
[4] Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Boston, MA USA
[5] Aga Khan Univ, Nairobi, Kenya
[6] 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1016/j.surg.2024.02.030
中图分类号
R61 [外科手术学];
学科分类号
摘要
The lack of prehospital care access in low- and middle-income countries is one of the greatest unmet needs and, therefore, one of the most urgent priorities in global health. Establishing emergency medical services in low- and middle-income countries poses significant challenges and complexities, requiring solutions tailored to prevailing conditions, informed by needs assessments, and adapted to meet local demands in a culturally appropriate and sustainable manner. In areas without existing emergency medical services, patients must rely on informal networks of untrained bystanders and community members to provide first aid and transport to definitive care. Since 2005, training lay first responders has been recommended by the World Health Organization as the first step toward formal emergency medical services development. However, efforts to formalize lay first responders networks have not expanded with the increasing need for prehospital emergency care in low- and middle-income countries, despite their potential. The rapid expansion of communication technologies like mobile smartphones penetrating resource-limited settings offers effective and inexpensive options for dispatching and coordinating lay first responders that were not previously available. These technologies can also be used for more advanced emergency medical services, obviating expensive communications and dispatch infrastructure. Despite disproportionately bearing the global injury burden, lay first responders frequently lack accurate and comprehensive surveillance data secondary to widespread underreporting, especially for non-fatal events. Lay first responders expand surveillance, which may inform future targeted prevention efforts, assisting in the development of tailored countermeasures suited to local hazards and diseases. Emergency medical services development in low- and middle-income countries involves a strategic approach focused on understanding the unique needs of diverse communities, requiring broad stakeholder involvement to create a sense of ownership to maintain volunteer networks and enhance sustainability. By embracing these relatively low-cost, bottom-up strategies, low- and middle-income countries can develop more accessible, efficient, and community-oriented emergency medical systems, ultimately improving public health outcomes and averting preventable deaths to address the emergency burden. (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
引用
收藏
页码:220 / 222
页数:3
相关论文
共 50 条
  • [1] Transportation and equipment needs for emergency medical services development in low- and middle-income countries
    Eisner, Zachary J.
    Smith, Nathanael J.
    Wylie, Craig
    [J]. SURGERY, 2024, 176 (02) : 521 - 523
  • [2] Medical Devices for Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review and Directions for Development
    Vasan, Aditya
    Friend, James
    [J]. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL DEVICES-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, 2020, 14 (01):
  • [3] Financing and cost-effectiveness of emergency medical services in low- and middle-income countries
    Delaney, Peter G.
    Offorjebe, Agatha
    Arudo, John
    [J]. SURGERY, 2024, 176 (04) : 1302 - 1304
  • [4] Advances and future directions in HIV surveillance in low- and middle-income countries
    Diaz, Theresa
    Garcia-Calleja, Jesus M.
    Ghys, Peter D.
    Sabin, Keith
    [J]. CURRENT OPINION IN HIV AND AIDS, 2009, 4 (04) : 253 - 259
  • [5] Funding emergency medicine development in low- and middle-income countries
    Doney, MK
    Smith, J
    Kapur, GB
    [J]. EMERGENCY MEDICINE CLINICS OF NORTH AMERICA, 2005, 23 (01) : 45 - +
  • [6] DEVELOPMENT OF FRACTURE PREVENTION SERVICES IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
    Ward, K. A.
    [J]. AGING CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, 2022, 34 (SUPPL 1) : S67 - S68
  • [7] Emergency medical systems in low- and middle-income countries: recommendations for action
    Kobusingye, OC
    Hyder, AA
    Bishai, D
    Hicks, ER
    Mock, C
    Joshipura, M
    [J]. BULLETIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, 2005, 83 (08) : 626 - 631
  • [8] The future of psychiatry in low- and middle-income countries
    Patel, V.
    [J]. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, 2009, 39 (11) : 1759 - 1762
  • [9] Medical reversals in low- and middle-income countries
    Haslam, Alyson
    Prasad, Vinay
    Livingston, Catherine
    [J]. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, 2020, 35 (02): : 631 - 638
  • [10] Antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries: current status and future directions
    Sulis, Giorgia
    Sayood, Sena
    Gandra, Sumanth
    [J]. EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTI-INFECTIVE THERAPY, 2022, 20 (02) : 147 - 160