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Improving Humanitarian Emergency Medical Team Operations in Conflict Settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2025

Jessica Ashley Ryder Open the ORCID record for Jessica Ashley Ryder [Opens in a new window] ,
David Callaway  and
Erica Nelson Open the ORCID record for Erica Nelson [Opens in a new window]
Jessica Ashley Ryder*
Affiliation:
Team Rubicon Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
David Callaway
Affiliation:
Team Rubicon Department of Emergency Medicine, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Main
Erica Nelson
Affiliation:
Team Rubicon Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine, MassGeneral Brigham
*
Corresponding author: Jessica Ashley Ryder; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The number of conflict-affected individuals is climbing. Humanitarian organizations are increasingly needed to provide medical care when governments lack capacity to care for affected communities. While the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Medical Team (EMT) initiative provides a verification process for organizations seeking to provide health care in the setting of various disasters, it does not address the unique operational challenges of deployment into conflict-affected communities. One solution is the implementation of a supplemental process similar to current verification procedures, wherein the WHO adopts a policy encouraging teams to complete an additional conflict-oriented verification, based on WHO Red Book recommendations, if they plan to operate in conflict settings The EMT initiative possesses expertise and the convening authority to drive international standards for care provision during health emergencies and is the obvious platform to create a rigorous process to ensure that EMTs in conflict zones are appropriately trained, vetted, and accountable.

Keywords

emergency medical teamsconflicthumanitarian lawdisaster medicine
Type
Policy Analysis
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e45
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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