Citation

Hecker N, Domres BD. Chin. J. Traumatol. 2018; 21(2): 64-72.

Affiliation

Sino-German Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft für Medizin e.V., Berlin, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Chinese Medical Association)

DOI

10.1016/j.cjtee.2017.09.003

PMID

29622286

Abstract

As well for optimized emergency management in individual cases as for optimized mass medicine in disaster management, the principle of the medical doctors approaching the patient directly and timely, even close to the site of the incident, is a long-standing marker for quality of care and patient survival in Germany. Professional rescue and emergency forces, including medical services, are the "Golden Standard" of emergency management systems. Regulative laws, proper organization of resources, equipment, training and adequate delivery of medical measures are key factors in systematic approaches to manage emergencies and disasters alike and thus save lives. During disasters command, communication, coordination and cooperation are essential to cope with extreme situations, even more so in a globalized world. In this article, we describe the major historical milestones, the current state of the German system in emergency and disaster management and its integration into the broader European approach.

Copyright © 2018. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

China; Disaster medicine; Emergency medical systems; Germany; Public health