Management Process of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine to Drive an Emergency Patient Referral System by Aircraft in Thailand

Abstract

This article focuses on the air medical services referral management system of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) in Thailand with the aims to describe the history of the air medical services referral and referral management system of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine in Thailand. There are three phases of air medical services referral operation; (1) 2009 - 2013, establishment phase; (2) 2014 - 2018, growing phase; (3) 2019 - March 2023, expanding phase (continued). Since developing the air medical services referral system or Thai Sky Doctor, its implementation has met the 6 Building Blocks of a Health System criteria by the World Health Organization. However, continuous improvement is still needed to achieve the goal of providing quality and standard service systems following the agency’s mandates. Initially, NIEM used helicopters in air medical services to save lives. It has developed from “Sky Doctor” to “Thai Sky Doctor” through the cooperation between the public and private sectors to improve faster access to emergency services. In addition, all critically ill patients receive standardized emergency procedures that are effective, universal, and equitable. The main goal is to reduce deaths from emergency illnesses and disabilities from emergencies.