Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

International EMS systems: Portugal

2004; Elsevier BV; Volume: 62; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.resuscitation.2004.04.013

1873-1570

Ernestina Gomes, Rui Araújo, Miguel Soares‐Oliveira, N. Pereira,

Health, Medicine and Society

Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are a relatively recent achievement in Portugal. Starting in Lisbon in the late 1980's, systems spread rapidly to most urban centres across the country. Pre-hospital EMS is now an established patient centred system that allows rapid access, stabilisation and transport of sick patients to the most appropriate hospital. This article provides an overview of the history of EMS in Portugal to date and outlines the objectives and aims for the future. EMS system configuration is not uniform all over the country. This is often due to variable medical involvement. We also provide an overview of the system design, funding, dispatch and team training. Hospital Emergency Departments are a critical link in the chain of care and are also discussed. As with pre-hospital EMS, there is some variability in the provision of emergency department care and the structure, organization, staffing and training is also discussed. The aims and future projects, both in the EMS and Emergency Department, are stressed.