Emergency Medical Teams in Disasters and Conflicts
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Top Contributors - Naomi O'Reilly, Kim Jackson, Rishika Babburu and Tarina van der Stockt
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are teams of health professionals (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, paramedics, etc.) that provide direct clinical care to people affected by disasters and conflicts, and support local health systems. EMTs are now considered a vital aspect of the global health workforce and have a specific role. Any doctor, nurse or paramedic team coming from another country to practice health care in any disaster or conflict setting needs to arrive as part of a team, which must be qualified, trained, and bring equipment and supplies to deliver an effective response rather than imposing a burden on the national system. EMTs must strive for self-sufficiency, a quality of care that is appropriate for the context, with credentials that meet a minimum acceptable standard. Traditionally, these teams have been focused on the management of trauma and surgical care, but the response to the Ebola outbreak demonstrated the value they can have in other contexts, such as epidemics and complex emergencies.
EMTs response can be both National and International from Governments (civil protection and military), Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), International Humanitarian Networks (International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Médecins sans Frontières), United Nations Contracted teams and Private-for-Profit Sector.
Classification[edit | edit source]
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Guidelines for Rehabilitation[edit | edit source]
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