Emergency medical services in Japan: an opportunity for the rational development of pre-hospital care and research.
Japan is at a crossroads in the development of its Emergency Medical Services (EMS). At present, Japan has an essentially pure scoop-and-run, defibrillation system. However, there is a strong movement toward expanding the scope of paramedic practice to include more complex, Advanced Life Support (ALS) and trauma protocols to its nationally standardized pre-hospital protocols. The implications of introducing complex pre-hospital protocols guided by the use of existing scientific evidence to support such action is discussed in the context of Japan's unique opportunity to test many fundamental questions in pre-hospital medical care and the public's understanding and acceptance of these practices. Japan, a technologically advanced country that is not encumbered by entrenched "standards of care," has the opportunity to develop an efficient and rational EMS system.
Lewin
Matthew R
MR
Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (Fresno), CA, USA.
Hori
Shingo
S
Aikawa
Naoki
N
D000552:Ambulances / Q000458:organization & administration; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States