International emergency medicine is a discipline that evaluates current standards and development of emergency medicine in various countries throughout the world. It focuses not only on the global practice of emergency medicine but also specifically on efforts to promote the growth of emergency care as a branch of medicine throughout the world.
Emergency medicine has been a recognized medical specialty in the United States and other developed countries for nearly forty years. The term international emergency medicine generally refers to the transfer of skills and knowledge from developed emergency medicine systems to those systems which are less developed--including knowledge of ambulance operations and other aspects of prehospital care.
In most developing countries, steps are being taken to develop emergency medicine as a specialty, to develop accreditation mechanisms, and to promote the development of emergency medicine training programs.
International emergency medicine is a sub-specialty of emergency medicine, and there are several international emergency medicine fellowships in the US, where residency-trained emergency physicians obtain advanced training in international skills and systems development. These programs usually offer an advanced degree in public health to their fellows, such as a Master of Public Health degree.
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