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EMT Classification

In an emergency, it is critical to get the team with the right skills to the right place at the right time, WHO’s EMT classification list requires that all EMT’s clearly outline their services and skills.Populations affected by disasters or public health emergencies need to be provided with quality health care by qualified professionals with established standards. The WHO EMT Initiative requires that all teams and their members are:

  • licensed to practice in their home country;
  • specialists in their field and have suitable malpractice insurance; and
  • registered (and obtain licensing) with national authority and lead international agency.

They should:

  • declare skills and services provided;
  • report regularly during the response;
  • maintain confidential patient records and arrange referral plans;
  • collaborate with the existing health system and be self-sufficient;
  • ensure supplies and medications meet international standards;
  • maintain standards for hygiene, sanitation and medical waste management; and
  • be prepared to care for team member’s health and safety and repatriation if need

Global Classification process

onging quality assurance process

The first step for any team is to submit an expression of interest to join the WHO Global EMT list. The EMT secretariat at WHO then selects and assigns a suitable mentor who will lead and support the organization through the peer-review process towards the quality assurance designation in a Mentorship Programme. Following the mentoring process, it will receive a verification site visit by a verification team of its peers and if successful will be considered Quality Assured and classified according to its capacity.

The entire process can take up to a year. A fundamental objective of the Global EMT Classification process is to discourage individuals from arriving unannounced to an emergency. Instead the WHO Global EMT Initiative encourages these individuals to join recognized organizations. Only users representing an organization that provides emergency medical services can apply for a user account. Individuals or individual members of an EMT will not be Quality Assured.