title: [Nurses and social care workers in emergency teams in Norway].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Norwegian counties Troms and Finnmark are dominated by large areas with widespread habitation and rather long response times for ambulances and doctors. We wished to investigate the extent to which the municipal preparedness in these counties use employees from the municipal nursing and social care services and if these are part of local emergency teams.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the autumn of 2008, we sent a questionnaire to the district medical officers and the leaders for municipal nursing and social care services in all 44 municipalities in Troms and Finnmark. The answers were analyzed manually.
  
  
  RESULTS
  41 municipalities responded. In 34 of these the municipal nurses and social care workers practice emergency medicine procedures. The content in these training sessions is much more comprehensive than that in a typical first aid course. In three of four municipalities ambulance personnel do not participate in this training. In 31 municipalities the inhabitants contact nurses and social care workers directly if they are acutely ill. In only 10 of the municipalities the nurses and social care workers are organized in local teams including a doctor and an ambulance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the districts, nursing and social care services are a resource in an emergency medicine context. The potential within these professions can be exploited better and be an important supplement in emergencies. In emergencies, cooperation across disciplines requires a clear organizational and economical structure, local basis and leadership.
authors.affiliation: Bjarkøy legekontor, 9426 Bjarkøy, Norway. frank.hilpusch@hlink.no
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hilpüsch
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parschat
authors.forename: Sissel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fenes
authors.forename: Ivar J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Aaraas
authors.forename: Mads
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000552:Ambulances; D001110:Arctic Regions; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D009664:Norway; D009726:Nurses; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D012947:Social Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce