Emergency medical service systems in Japan : Past, present, and future

Tanigawa Koichi

Tanaka Keiichi

Resuscitation

crews become more sophisticated. A marked increase in the recent volume of emergency calls is another issue of concern. Currently, private services for transportation of non-acute or minor injury/illness have been introduced in some areas, and dispatch protocols to triage 199 calls are in development.

Emergency medical services are provided by the fire defense headquarter of the local government in Japan. We have a one-tiered EMS system. The ambulance is staffed by three crews trained in rescue, stabilization, transportation, and advanced care of traumatic and medical emergencies. There are three levels of care provided by ambulance personnel including a basic-level ambulance crew (First Aid Class one, FAC-1), a second level (Standard First Aid Class, SFAC), and the highest level (Emergency Life Saving Technician, ELST). ELSTs are trained in all aspects of BLS and part of ALS procedures relevant to prehospital emergency care. Further development of an effective medical control system is imperative as the activities of ambulance

Medical sciences [ 490 ]

eng

Elsevier

Copyright (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd.

[ISSN] 0300-9572

[DOI] 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2006.04.001

[NCID] AA00817253

[PMID] 16740355

[DOI] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2006.04.001 isVersionOf