Emergency Medicine in Germany, ,

During the last 25 years the German EMS system has developed into a professional organization that covers the whole country with essentially the same standards. Standardized ambulances and rescue helicopters, equipment, dispatch centers, and training requirements characterize the system. The challenge for the future will be the development and implementation of a creative quality management system to improve system performance in spite of pending budget reductions. [Moecke H: Emergency medicine in Germany. Ann Emerg Med January 1998;31:111-115.]