Medical evacuation in emergencies: a guidance for medical teams and specialized care teams
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World Health Organization
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xiii, 143 p.
This guidance document provides a standardized framework for medical evacuation (medevac) in emergencies, aimed at supporting Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs), health authorities, emergency planners and other stakeholders involved in emergency response operations. Developed within the WHO EMT framework, the publication addresses the increasing need for coordinated and context-adapted patient transfer systems during disasters, disease outbreaks, armed conflicts and other health emergencies that overwhelm local health-care capacities. It defines minimum technical standards and operational recommendations for the safe and effective transfer of patients requiring basic, advanced, critical or specialized transport care. The document outlines principles and procedures for medevac coordination, clinical decision-making, operational support and logistics, infection prevention and control, and regulatory considerations related to cross-border movement and transport operations. It also describes the role and classification of specialized care teams, including those providing transport for highly infectious diseases, burns, paediatric critical care and extracorporeal life support. Drawing on evidence review, expert consensus and operational experience, the guidance promotes standardized, ethical and patient-centred approaches to medevac preparedness and response across diverse emergency contexts.
This guidance document provides a standardized framework for medical evacuation (medevac) in emergencies, aimed at supporting Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs), health authorities, emergency planners and other stakeholders involved in emergency response operations. Developed within the WHO EMT framework, the publication addresses the increasing need for coordinated and context-adapted patient transfer systems during disasters, disease outbreaks, armed conflicts and other health emergencies that overwhelm local health-care capacities. It defines minimum technical standards and operational recommendations for the safe and effective transfer of patients requiring basic, advanced, critical or specialized transport care. The document outlines principles and procedures for medevac coordination, clinical decision-making, operational support and logistics, infection prevention and control, and regulatory considerations related to cross-border movement and transport operations. It also describes the role and classification of specialized care teams, including those providing transport for highly infectious diseases, burns, paediatric critical care and extracorporeal life support. Drawing on evidence review, expert consensus and operational experience, the guidance promotes standardized, ethical and patient-centred approaches to medevac preparedness and response across diverse emergency contexts.