European vs American EMS: Two Approaches to the Delivery of High Quality Care

Globally, the goal of EMS is the same: to provide effective and expedient care to those in need in order to prevent mortality and morbidity. The modern EMS system started in the battlefields to help the wounded soldiers; nowadays, EMS has grown so much that it plays a major role in the comprehensive health care system. Starting in the 1960s, two main models of EMS evolved — the Anglo-American and Franco-German model. Currently, virtually all EMS systems around the world vary from those two branches. In this session, the American “load and go” EMS philosophy is compared and contrasted with the European “stay and play” EMS philosophy.