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Emergency Medical Teams in crisis-affected settings

Edited by: 

  • Dr. Flavio Salio (Network Leader, Emergency Medical Teams, World Health Organization)
  • Prof. Johan von Schreeb (Director, Center for Health crises, Karolinska institutet) New Content Item

Conflict and Health invites you to submit to our new collection on Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) in crisis-affected settings.

The international response to the Haiti earthquake in 2010 spurred the development of principles, criteria, and standards for EMTs, which have evolved rapidly over the succeeding years. Increasingly for infectious disease outbreaks, armed conflict, and other health emergencies, the EMT mechanism is providing countries with more bespoke support tailored to the individual health environment and needs of the health system.

In times of crisis, national and local EMTs are often in the best position to provide immediate assistance. Building and strengthening both national and international EMT capacity is an essential component of a country's emergency preparedness and response to save lives, improve health, and serve the most vulnerable and in need.

There has been increasing recognition of the importance of investing in such surge mechanisms and rapid response capacities. Despite this, there is a paucity of literature on EMTs and the evidence base related to their establishment, cost-effectiveness, and performance remains limited. This special collection aims to provide a more in-depth understanding of the implementation and benefits of the EMT model, in particular in low- and middle-income countries, fragile states, and in areas affected by humanitarian crises.

This article collection is open to submissions of quantitative and qualitative research papers, reviews, and case studies. Manuscripts should be formatted according to our submission guidelines and submitted via the online submission system. During the submission process, please make sure the correct collection title is chosen at the 'Additional Information' step. Please also indicate clearly in the covering letter that the manuscript is to be considered for this collection.


  1. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (RCRC) utilizes specialized Emergency Response Units (ERUs) for international disaster response. However, data collection and reporting within ERUs have been time-consum...

    Authors: Felix Holl, Lauren Clarke, Thomas Raffort, Elvire Serres, Laura Archer and Panu Saaristo
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2024 18:28
    Content type: Case Study Published on:

  2. The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine is characterized by indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and clinics that have devastated the Ukrainian health system putting trau...

    Authors: Lynn Lieberman Lawry, Jessica Korona-Bailey, Luke Juman, Miranda Janvrin, Valentina Donici, Iurii Kychyn, John Maddox and Tracey Perez Koehlmoos
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2024 18:10
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. The recent earthquake in Syria has caused widespread devastation, leading to extensive damage and loss of life. Considering the diverse range of disasters and conflicts that have affected Syrian society, healt...

    Authors: Hani Saeed, Sulaf Hamid, Imad Zoukar, Adel Khiami, Lama Al Hawat, Mohammed Khoja, Hossam Khawatmy, Hani Abdalnour and Mayssoon Dashash
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2024 18:5
    Content type: Research Published on: