title: The formation of the emergency medical services system.
abstract: The evolution of the emergency medical services system in the United States accelerated rapidly between 1960 and 1973 as a result of a number of medical, historical, and social forces. Current emergency medical services researchers, policy advocates, and administrators must acknowledge these forces and their limitations and work to modify the system into one that provides uniformly high-quality acute care to all patients, improves the overall public health through injury control and disease prevention programs, participates as a full partner in disease surveillance, and is prepared to address new community needs of all types.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Emergency Medical Services, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 655, Rochester, New York 14642, USA. manish.shah@rochester.edu
authors.forename: Manish N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000266:history* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D035082:Federal Government; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States