LONDON — The Larrey Global Forum, described as the world’s first online global think tank for EMS, has launched.
The forum is a free meeting place for paramedics and other health care professionals from public, private and third sector organizations to exchange information, views and ideas and conduct research on the future shape of ambulance services in the 21st century.
“Work is already being undertaken by many different organizations around the world but there is an urgent need for the knowledge, expertise and ideas to be joined up into a code of EMS best practice,” said David Davis, Larrey Society founder. “Investment in time and money is being wasted because uniformity is largely non-existent in areas such as operational practice, paramedic training, technology and performance measurement.”
The Larrey Global Forum has been created to bring together the people who actually manage and deliver vital life-saving services 24/7 to hundreds of millions of people every year, so that they can learn best practices from one another and also improve their EMS knowledge and understanding outside of their own countries.
Although each country’s health care needs, economics, legislation and politics vary, the EMS community now has a global voice, which the Larrey Society will use to bring to the attention of legislators and regulators the one issue that everyone has in common – how best to ensure and enhance the well-being and safety of all patients.
In its campaign to unify EMS practices the Larrey Society is seeking the support of more than 20 paramedic organizations in Europe, United States, Australasia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
“The initial response to the forum has been more than encouraging because it meets a long-felt need for effective collaboration and communication between EMS personnel around the world,” Davis said.
The Larrey Society, a not for profit organization, it is named after Dominique Jean Larrey, the 17th century surgeon who introduced battleground treatment and flying ambulances in the Napoleonic wars.