title: State of emergency health in the Palestinian Territories.
abstract: The Palestinian emergency healthcare system faces numerous difficulties in its efforts to develop and improve patient care. The Emergency Medical Assistance Project, a four-year, emergency health capacity-building project, is described in this report. The factors contributing to the current lack of in-hospital emergency care and the measures performed to improve the situation are highlighted. The authors surveyed 48 emergency healthcare providers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on key emergency care development indicators and compared the level of emergency health development with those of Israel and the United States using a model of structured development criteria. Survey results and project observations provide a basis for future recommendations in education and infrastructure.
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Royal College Emergency Medicine Program, Royal Victoria Hospital, Room A4.62, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec Canada H3A 1A1. rvenu@videotron.ca
authors.forename: Raghu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Venugopal
authors.forename: P Gregg
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Greenough
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ehrhardt
authors.forename: Daksha
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brahmbhatt
authors.forename: Fadia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oweis
mesh_terms: D018912:Arabs; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D008877:Middle East