<unk>  is a subspecialty of<unk><unk>  that focuses not only on the global practice of<unk><unk>  but also on efforts to promote the growth of<unk>  care as a branch of<unk>  throughout the world. The term<unk>  generally refers to the transfer of skills and knowledge—including knowledge of ambulance operations and other aspects of prehospital care—from developed<unk>  medical systems (EMSs) to those systems which are less developed. However, this definition has been criticized as oxymoronic, given the<unk>  nature of<unk>  and the number of physicians working<unk> ly. From this point of view,<unk>  is better described as the training required for and the reality of practicing the specialty outside of one's native country.<unk><unk>  has been a recognized medical specialty in the United States and other developed countries for nearly forty years, although these countries' EMSs did not become fully mature until the early 1990s. At that point, some of its practitioners turned their attention from developing the specialty at home to developing it abroad, leading to the birth of<unk> . They began to support the growth of<unk><unk>  worldwide, doing so through conferences, national and regional<unk><unk>  organizations, relief and development organizations,<unk>  fellowships, physician exchanges, information transfer, and curriculum development. Most developing countries are taking steps to develop<unk><unk>  as a specialty, to develop accreditation mechanisms, and to promote the development of<unk><unk>  training programs. Their interest is a result of improved healthcare, increasing urbanization, aging populations, the rising number of traffic fatalities, and heightened awareness of<unk><unk>  among their citizens. In addition,<unk><unk>  is useful in dealing with time-sensitive illnesses, as well as improving public health through vaccinations, interventions, training, and data collection. Countries that lack mature EMSs are developing<unk><unk>  as a specialty so that they will be able to set up training programs and encourage medical students to pursue residencies in<unk><unk> . Some challenges faced in<unk>  include immature or non-existent training programs, a lack of adequate<unk>  transport, a shortage of resources to fund<unk><unk>  development, and an absence of research that could inform developing countries how to best spend the resources they devote to<unk><unk> . Additionally, the standards and methods used in countries with mature EMSs are not always suited for use in developing countries due to a lack of infrastructure, shortage of funds, or local demographics. Ambulances, the developed country standard, are costly and not practical for the road conditions present in many countries; instead, a variety of modes of transportation are used. Furthermore, in place of expensive medication and equipment, developing countries often opt for cheaper if slightly less effective alternatives. Although it may seem that increasing availability to<unk><unk>  must improve health, there is little empirical evidence to directly support that claim or to point out which methods are most effective in improving patient health. Evidence-based<unk>  seeks to address this issue by rigorously studying the effects of different interventions instead of relying on logic or tradition.
International emergency medicine
Pre-hospital emergency medicine
TraumaMan
Hospital corpsman
Outline of emergency medicine
Poison control center
Critical emergency medicine
Hazardous area response team