What types of support should organizations provide to their EMTs?
Supportive measures for EMTs before, during and/or after deployment:
Preliminary deployment medical check-up |
Personal health insurance |
Psychological screening and support |
Medivac support plan while team is on deployment |
Uniforms that the team can wear on deployment |
Field training in global health, disaster medicine and for the provision of care in an austere environment |
Vaccinations before deployment |
Medications for prophylaxis and/or vector before and during deployment |
Fitness training to ensure the appropriate level of fitness in an austere environment |
Professional medical indemnity/insurance |
Initial Medical Care |
What are Special Cell EMTs?
These teams may be as small as two or three senior specialists and provide additional specialized care embedded within the type 2 or 3 EMTs, a national hospital, or be a type 2 team without a self-sufficient field facility. They must bring appropriate equipment, maintenance and supplies adequate to their specialty area. Like other EMTs, additional specialized care teams must adhere to the EMT Guiding Principles and core standards, and follow current guidelines for the specialty represented and ensure care provided is appropriate to context and identified needs.
Specialized Cells Include:
|
Expression of Interest Process
Submit an Expression of Interest
Steps to submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) Application
1. A new user account must be created. |
The organizational focal point completes the required fields and submits the information through the on-line form. The information is then reviewed and pending approval, the organization will be granted an account. |
2. Once the account request is made, the user is sent an email with log-in instructions. |
At this time, the user can then log-in to and follow the steps to submitting their application. |
Can anyone be an EMT?
The term EMT is exclusively used for those international medical teams that have registered and agreed to comply with the standards and principles. The term refers to groups of minimum two health professionals and supporting staff outside their country of origin, aiming to provide health care specifically to disaster affected populations. They include governmental (both civilian and military) and non-governmental teams. A EMT has staff to provide basic and/or advanced healthcare based on international classification levels and minimum standards during a limited time period in existing or temporary structures, with or without field hospitals. Any individuals or groups that do not fit within the definition and cannot comply with the standard should either consider joining a recognized organisation that provides EMT or not responding in the aftermath of a sudden onset disaster.
Who can apply for an Account?
Who is eligible for EMT Global Classification?
Organizations who wish to submit an expression of interest application for classifying their EMTs should apply. These organizations must adhere to the minimum standards and principles of Foreign Medical Teams. |
Who are EMTs?
The term EMT refers to groups of health professionals providing direct clinical care to populations affected by disasters or outbreaks and emergencies as surge capacity to support the local health system.
What are the different types of EMTs?
EMT Types
Type of EMT | Definition |
---|---|
Type 1 Fixed | Provide outpatient initial emergency care of injuries and other significant health care needs. Teams must be capable of treating at least 100 outpatients per day and function during daytime. Key services include: triage, first aid, stabilisation, referral of severe trauma, nontrauma emergencies, and care for minor trauma injuries. Type 1 fixed teams can work from suitable existing structures or supply their own fixed or mobile outpatient facilities, such as tents or special equipped vehicles. |
Type 1 Mobile | Provide outpatient initial emergency care of injuries and other significant health care needs.Teams must be capable of treating at least 50 outpatients per day and function during the daytime. Key services include triage, first aid, stabilisation, referral of severe trauma, nontrauma emergencies, and care for minor trauma injuries. Type 1 mobile teams do not work out of a fixed structure and the team, including all equipment, can be easily moved throughout the mission deployment. |
Type 2 | Provide emergency care and have surgical capacities. Teams must be capable of performing at least 7 major or 15 minor operations daily with at least 20 inpatient beds per one operating table and be able to function 24 hours per day. Key services include screening of new and referred patients, surgical triage, advanced life support, definitive wound care, basic fracture management, damage control surgery, emergency general and obstetric surgery, inpatient care for nontrauma emergencies, basic anaesthesia, Xray, sterilisation, laboratory, blood transfusion, and rehabilitation services. Type 2 EMTs may either be offered within a suitable existing structure, or provide a temporary facility. Teams must have staff capable of managing expected epidemiology, and should have a specific plan to manage the comorbidity of normal disease patterns, and of other medical conditions with complications or severity that requires admission. |
Type 3 | Provide complex inpatient referral surgical care including intensive care capacity. Teams must have at least 2 operating tables in two separate rooms within the theatre area, at least 40 inpatient beds (20 per table) and have the capability to treat 15 major or 30 minor surgical cases a day. Key services include screening of referred and new patients, surgical triage and assessment, complex reconstructive wound and orthopaedic care, enhanced, Xray, sterilisation, laboratory, blood transfusion, rehabilitation services, high level paediatric and adult anaesthesia, and intensive care beds with 24/7 monitoring and ability to ventilate. Type 3 EMTs should be considered an option to provide a highlevel referral service to those type 1 and 2 teams (both local and foreign) that cannot provide services of that standard. Teams may deploy into existing health facilities or offer their services within their own structures (field hospital). |
Specilized Teams | Specializes in a specific medical area. These teams may be as small as two or three senior specialists that provide additional specialised care embedded within type 2 or 3 EMTs or a national hospital. They must bring appropriate equipment, maintenance and supplies adequate to their specialty area. |
What are the different emergency situations?
Types of Emergencies
Sudden Onset Disaster (SOD) |
According to the World Health Organization, Sudden onset disasters (SODs) are both “natural” disasters (e.g, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods) and manmade or “complex” disasters (e.g., sudden conflict situations arising from vared political factors), for which there is little or no warning. A disaster is defined by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. These events occur without time to complete a full evacuation. |
Protracted crisis | The World Health Organization and World Food Programme defines a protracted emergency, sometimes referred to as a slowonset emergency, as an extended disaster that takes a long time to produce emergency conditions, for instance natural disasters such as a drought or socioeconomic decline, which are normally accompanied by early warning signs. |
Conflict or complex emergencies | A complex emergency, as defined by the World Health Organization and IASC, is “a humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single and/or ongoing UN country programme,” (i.e., violence, political instability, security risks). |
Outbreak | According the World Health Organization, outbreak refers to the occurrence of cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographical area or season. An outbreak may occur in a restricted geographical area, or may extend over several countries. It may last for a few days or weeks, or for several years. A single case of a communicable disease long absent from a population, or caused by an agent (e.g. bacterium or virus) not previously recognized in that community or area, or the emergence of a previously unknown disease, may also constitute an outbreak. |
CBRN | Chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events caused by manmade reasons, naturally occurring incidents, or technological issues. These events may be weaponized materials or nonweaponized accidents. Note that biological events do not constitute communicable disease outbreaks (REF: Center for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness). |
What are the EMT minimum standards?
EMT Minimum Standards
Standard A |
The EMTs agree to:
|
Standard B |
|
Standard C |
|
Standard D |
|
Standard E |
|
Standard F |
|
Standard G |
EMTs will adhere to professional guidelines:
|
Standard H |
EMTs ensure that:
|
Standard I |
|
Standard J |
|
Standard K |
EMT complies with:
|
Standard L |
EMTs must ensure:
|
Standard M |
|
What are the EMT Principles?
What are the EMT benefits of the Global Classification process?
Benefits of Global Classification
|
How does EMT Global Classification help the affected country?
EMT Assistance
|
Why do EMTs need to be classified?
For providers of EMTs that will engage in the global classification process, classification may give confidence to donors to fund registered EMTs. Furthermore, classification will facilitate the invitation to be deployed and authorization to operate on arrival in the disaster location. On arrival, the EMTs will be able to benefit from logistic support onsite and receive guidance on what the best place is to set up their units so they don’t lose time to start working on a designated site.
Humanitarian operational partners providing quality EMTs and participating in the Global Classification will find a better-managed, rapid and efficient authorization process and a mutually supportive working relationship with local health services.