title: EMS in Taiwan: past, present, and future.
abstract: Taiwan is a small island country located in East Asia. From around 1995 modern concepts of the EMS were imported and supported by legislation. Considerable progress has since been made towards the construction of an effective pre-hospital care system. This article introduces the current status of the EMS in Taiwan, including the systems, response configurations, funding, personnel, medical directorship, and outcome research. The features and problems of in-hospital emergency care are also discussed. Key areas for further development in the country vary depending on regional differences in available resource and population density. An analysis of the strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats of the evolving EMS in Taiwan could be an example for other countries where the EMS is undergoing a similar process of development and optimisation.
authors.affiliation: National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Chu
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Patrick Chow-In
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Hui-Chih
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chi-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Fuh-Yuan
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Kuang-Hua
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hsiung
authors.forename: Matthew Huei-Ming
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D013624:Taiwan