International Health
The provision of emergency care is an essential component of any healthcare system. Yet, in low and middle income countries, urbanization, increasing population density, scarce resources, and limited formal medical training, make it difficult to meet the needs of the acutely ill and injured. It is clear however that many of the illnesses and injuries that cause the majority of death and disability are responsive to the prompt provision of care.
Accordingly, the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University is committed to improving emergency medical care for individuals, families, and communities throughout the world by using our abundant internal resources, strengthening current partnerships, and expanding collaborative efforts and organizational linkages. Our department provides expertise in public health, injury prevention, disaster management, prehospital care and emergency medical services, toxicology, emergency health system management, emergency medical training, and clinical emergency medicine so that we may develop emergency care systems that are locally relevant and integrated in the local or regional healthcare system.
We help develop emergency healthcare systems in order to maximize survival, reduce long-term disability, and generate the basic data required to implement and evaluate programs.
Our Vision
Low and middle income countries continue to confront enormous public health challenges with regard to injury and illness. Infectious disease, obstetrical complications, malnutrition, and injury, among others, continue to exact an enormous toll on individuals, families, and communities. In many countries, the healthcare systems and infrastructure, including those designed for emergency medical care, have limited capacity, are difficult to access, or simply do not exist. Individuals who are acutely ill or injured have limited avenues and opportunities for emergent and follow-up care, potentially leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and disability from otherwise treatable conditions.
We are committed to the development of emergency care systems that are locally relevant, integrated within the local or regional healthcare system, that strive to maximize survival, reduce long-term disability, and generate the basic data required to implement and evaluate programs. To do this effectively, these systems do not have to be expensive or complex, and must be developed, designed, and implemented within the context of the local culture, the healthcare system, and the society's infrastructure, including public health, transportation, public safety, and other sectors.
We can reduce the human and economic toll of illness and injury by implementing basic, simple emergency medical and trauma care systems. When these systems are linked to a country's existing public health and healthcare infrastructure, they can substantially enhance access to care, augment a country's capacity to care for a wide range of emergency conditions, identify opportunities for prevention, and strengthen a country's disaster response capacity.