The Hong Kong emergency medical services system: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Hong Kong's emergency medical services (EMS) system has been developing since the late nineteenth century and has evolved over the years to form a complex system with multiple organisations providing prehospital emergency care to the community. This review aims to provide an up-to-date description of the contemporary EMS system in Hong Kong. Methods: In this review, a comprehensive review of both published and grey literature was conducted to investigate the contemporary structure of the Hong Kong EMS system. This included any articles that provided information regarding the EMS system. This was then supplemented by interviews with key stakeholders from major EMS organisations. The results of these two components were then analysed thematically based on the major components of the system. Results: This review summarised the recent developments of the EMS system in Hong Kong. It also highlighted the key role of auxiliary organisations and volunteers in the Hong Kong EMS system. This scoping review also discovered many research gaps in the prehospital setting in Hong Kong and provides some recommendations for further study and developments.