Time for Change: The State of Emergency Medical Services in South Korea

Abstract

Trauma is the leading cause of death among people younger than 40 years of age in South Korea. This demographic represents the productive members of Korean society, yet little is being done to correct this growing problem. The preventable death rate in Korea is estimated to be approximately 60%, which is unacceptable given Korea's growing economy and available resources.

Comparison of Traditional Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Course Instruction Vs. a Scenario-Based, Performance Oriented Team Instruction (SPOTI) Method for Korean Paramedic Students

“…Korean paramedic students were taught current ACLS concepts and guidelines (6,7). They underwent the same rigorous ACLS lectures and hands-on training as developed by the AHA.…”

Characteristics and Outcomes of Trauma Patients via Emergency Medical Services

“…In order to do this, introduction of the trauma system is essential, and Korea has also started to build a trauma system including the establishment of a regional trauma center [3,6]. The system should be improved at the pre-hospital stage and the transfer stage as well as a process to efficiently operate the trauma system and make continuous efforts to supplement it.…”

“…One study reported in 2006 found that the cost of production loss per trauma death was about 350 million KRW. However, the preventable mortality rate in Korea trauma patients was 50.4% in 1998, 39.6% in 2004, and 32.6% in 2007, respectively [3], to improve this, the Korea government started a serious trauma specialization center project from 2012 to support the installation of the regional trauma center [4]. In Korea, emergency medical services (EMS) may be crucial role in fire department-or hospital-based ground transportation of trauma patients in both rural and urban areas, with few exceptions (accidents or disasters occurring on a mountain or on the sea) [5].…”