Emergency medicine in China: Redefining a specialty

History of the development of international emergency medicine

“…Also, virtually all countries are undergoing urbanization of their populations, with a demographic transition from infectious diseases to trauma and cardiorespiratory diseases, which are well handled by the specialty of EM. There are increasing outpatient visits and an increasing percentage of elderly patients who require EM services more frequently [10][11][12][13]. There has been the demonstrated success of EM in the United States and a few other countries, and this has become known to people throughout the world partly from popular television shows such as ER, Rescue 911, and Casualty.…”

Emergency Medicine in China

“…It was argued among the Chinese health professionals whether it was appropriate to develop a major of EM in clinical medicine (Song 1999 By all estimates, the pace of growth of EM in China will continue to accelerate as China's economy and demographics approach those of the west, but the final form they will take is still uncertain (Ali 2001). The certain point is that China is taking the parts of the western system it can use and implementing its own methods in the overall practice of EM (Clem, Thomas et al 1998).…”

Demographic Analysis of Emergency Department Patients at the Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai

“…Consequently, there is an increasing need for a well-organized healthcare system that keeps up with the changing needs [1]. Shanghai is one of the largest Chinese cities, where a major public event, the World Exposition, was organized in 2010.…”

“…Until now, no demographic description of patients visiting the ED of the Ruijin Hospital has been published in the international literature [1]. Knowing how many patients visit the ED, what complaints they present with, and their referrals will provide insight into the current status of emergency care at the ED of the Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai.…”