Authors (including presenting author) :
CHAN YW(1)(2)
CHEUNG KL(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Accident and Emergency Department, Tuen Mun Hospital
(2) Government Flying Service
Introduction :
Pre-hospital emergency care is a subspecialty of Emergency Medicine. Pre-hospital care is mainly provided by the Ambulance Command of the Fire Services Department (FSD). The airspace of Hong Kong and a significant proportion of the South China Sea were provided by Government Flying Service (GFS), which includes search & rescue (SAR), air ambulance, or casualty evacuation (CASEVAC).
Since the late 1990s, GFS had the vision of “bringing the hospital to the patients”, which led to the establishment of the Auxiliary Section Medical Unit in August of 2000, when the first batch of Air Medical Officers (AMO) were introduced. Two years later, the first batch of Air Medical Nursing Officers (AMNO) were recruited.
Objectives :
To share the training journey of flight nurses in GFS.
Methodology :
The H175 helicopters can provide Emergency Medical Services for Hong Kong people in response to emergency calls from clinics located at outlying islands or accident scenes. In association with the introduction of the Emergency Medical System, the service of the Medical unit extended to cover from Fridays to Mondays and public holidays.
The total number of callouts from 2018 to 2022 is increasing.
(As at 30 Nov 2022) 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Search & Rescue (SAR) 722 1010 1054 552 473
CASEVAC 1483 1707 1651 1755 1849
Result & Outcome :
Medical emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time. That’s why there are specially trained medical professionals who can provide care in various settings, including in the scene and the air.
Total of 38 Air Medical Officer (AMO) and 34 Air Medical Nursing Officer (AMNO) work in the medical unit, GFS(A). Those auxiliary members are experienced doctors and nurses from various specialties, including Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Orthopaedics, and Otorhinolaryngology, all sharing the same vision of providing the highest standard of prehospital care in the region. Through continuous efforts and commitment, the medical unit will strive for the best to live up to the motto “SEMPER PARATUS”
