Daedong Hospital Conducts Emergency Medical Institution Evaluation and Regional Emergency Medical Center Re-designation Evaluation This Year

Daedong Hospital conducted this year's emergency medical institution evaluation and regional emergency medical center re-designation evaluation on the 4th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Daedong Hospital conducted this year’s emergency medical institution evaluation and on-site reassessment for regional emergency medical center re-designation on the 4th at the 10th-floor auditorium of Daedong Hospital.

The emergency medical institution evaluation targets regional emergency medical centers, local emergency medical centers, and regional emergency medical institutions designated under the Emergency Medical Services Act. It is conducted annually to improve the quality of emergency medical services and to establish the functions and systems of emergency institutions by type, ensuring that Korean citizens can receive reliable emergency services anytime and anywhere.

Emergency medical institutions are classified into regional emergency medical institutions, local emergency medical centers, and regional emergency medical centers. In the case of local emergency medical centers, every three years, according to Article 31-3 (Re-designation of Emergency Medical Institutions) of the Emergency Medical Services Act, they must submit a designation application and emergency room operation plan to the designation authorities such as the Minister of Health and Welfare, provincial governors, and mayors, county governors, or district heads to undergo re-designation evaluation.

Daedong Hospital was designated on January 1, 2019, by Busan City as the only local emergency medical center in the integrated jurisdiction covering Dongnae-gu, Geumjeong-gu, Buk-gu, and Yeonje-gu, providing specialized medical services for severe emergency patients. To alleviate the burden on the medical community due to COVID-19 response, the re-designation period was extended by one year, and this year’s re-designation evaluation was conducted. The 2022 emergency medical institution on-site evaluation was also conducted simultaneously for the same reason.

This evaluation was conducted by a total of four evaluators, including emergency medicine specialists, assessing indicators such as safety, patient-centeredness, timeliness, publicness, functionality, and effectiveness. They evaluated the level of dedicated personnel secured, the presence of dedicated personnel on-site, appropriate operation of emergency patient-exclusive facilities and equipment, proper ambulance operation, and establishment of pre-transfer measures. In particular, the operation of the National Emergency Patient Information Network (NEDIS) system, which transmits and analyzes emergency patient treatment information in real time, and a detailed evaluation of patients’ medical records were conducted.

Kim Miran, head of Daedong Hospital Regional Emergency Medical Center (emergency medicine specialist), said, “There have been many difficult moments over the past three years due to COVID-19, but our staff have worked hard to create emergency medical services that the local community can trust. We will faithfully undergo the on-site evaluation and do our best to improve any shortcomings.”

The first results of this evaluation are scheduled to be announced in mid-October, and designation decisions will be completed in order for regional emergency medical centers, local emergency medical centers, and regional emergency medical institutions by December 2022, entering re-designated operation as of January 1, 2023.