Effective pre-hospital care is needed to decrease preventable long-term morbidity & mortality and improve outcomes of injuries and time-sensitive conditions, a pre-hospital care system. To achieve this, pre-hospital care systems must have prompt communication and activation, prompt response, and assessment, treatment, and transport to formal healthcare facilities.
Pre-hospital care is especially important to prevent deaths that occur during the intermediate or subacute phase of injury, which occur within several hours of the event and are frequently the result of treatable conditions. Prompt provision of care can limit deaths during this phase. In rural & geographically isolated settings, access to healthcare is even more challenging due to lack of infrastructure, scarcity of vehicles, poor quality of roads, and prolonged response and transport times. These must be addressed to provide at least a basic level of pre-hospital care. Without this, most injuries may face mortality at the scene or on the way to the hospital due to conditions that may otherwise be readily treated using basic first aid measures.