Developing emergency medical dispatch systems in Africa – Recommendations of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine/International Academies of Emergency Dispatch Working Group

Abstract

Emergency medical dispatch (EMD) systems are a crucial component of effective Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems. They provide a means of public access to emergency care information and out-of-hospital emergency care resources and expertise. EMD systems also link various components of EMS, thereby improving efficiency and performance. As EMS systems are rapidly developing across many parts of Africa, EMD systems which are context appropriate are in great need, but are mostly absent despite the wide availability of telecommunications technology. To facilitate the development of EMD systems appropriate for the African setting, the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) convened a working group in November 2014 to provide conceptual, technical, and innovative recommendations for contextually appropriate EMD systems for African settings. It is hoped that these recommendations will augment efficiency, effectiveness, and standardisation within and among African EMD systems, thereby improving health outcomes for sufferers of acute illness or injury.Les syste`mes de Re´partition me´dicale d'urgence (RMU) repre´sentent une composante cruciale des syste`mes efficaces d'Aide me´dicale urgente (SAMU). Ils fournissent un moyen d'acce`s public a`l'information sur les soins d'urgence et aux ressources et expertise en soins d'urgence hors de l'hoˆpital. Les syste`mes de RMU font e´galement le lien entre divers composants de l'AMU, ame´liorant ainsi l'efficacite´et la performance. Alors que les syte`mes d'AMU se de´veloppent rapidement dans de nombreuses re´gions de l'Afrique, il existe un grand besoin de syste`mes de RMU adapte´s au contexte, souvent absents malgre´la grande disponibilite´des technologies de te´le´com munications. Pour faciliter le de´veloppement de syste`mes de RMU approprie´s au contexte africain, la Fe´de´ration africaine de me´decine d'urgence (AFEM, African Federation for Emergency Medicine) et les Acade´mies internationales de re´partition d'urgence (IAED, International Academies of Emergency Dispatch) ont convoque´un groupe de travail en novembre 2014 pour fournir des recommandations conceptuelles, techniques et innovantes aux syste`mes de RMU adapte´s au contexte africain. Il est a`espe´rer que ces recommandations augmenteront l'efficacite´, l'efficience et la normalisation au sein et entre les syste`mes de RMU africains, ame´liorant ainsi les re´sultats en termes de sante´pour les personnes souffrant de maladie aigue¨ou de blessures. African relevanceEmergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) systems are a critical component of, and point of public access into, emergency care systems.

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