Towards a national research agenda for the ambulance and pre-hospital sector in Australia

By comparison to other health disciplines and medical specialties, pre-hospital and emergency medical systems (EMS) research lags behind its clinical cousins. This paper describes a recent Australian response to recognition of the need to improve the profile of pre-hospital and EMS research. In August 2002, the Convention of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) hosted a national symposium to discuss the development of an Australian agenda for ambulance and pre-hospital research. The aims of the symposium were to describe the current state of Australian research on pre-hospital care and EMS; identify gaps in the current research effort; discuss targets for future research; and describe mechanisms for encouraging industry cooperation and fostering the research effort. Similarities between the key issues facing Australian researchers and those described in both the United Kingdom and United States were noted. This Symposium was an important preliminary step in focusing and improving the pre-hospital research effort in Australia