Innovative Practices in the Emergency Medical Services in Crete

Pre-hospital emergency care plays a vital role in saving human lives making it an important part of the health care sector. Efficiency and effectiveness of operations is crucial especially when dealing with life-threatening situations that require immediate and specialised response. In Crete, the National Centre for Emergency Care has established several innovative practices to improve public services, manage appropriately and effectively its resources, and provide timely and effective care at the point of need. To achieve excellence, a pre-hospital emergency management system has been developed and implemented in collaboration with the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas. The pre-hospital information system is part of HYGEIAnet, the integrated regional health information network in Crete. This paper presents an overview of the innovative practices established at the National Centre for Emergency Care unit in Crete with a particular focus on triage protocols, pre-hospital information management system and educational practices, focusing on management of change and impact on performance.

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