Paramedical pre-hospital emergency procedures are often subjected to the restrains imposed by in-hospital research. The emergency incident is a difficult place to start carrying out measurements and test theories. The laboratory and hospital researchers have a huge advantage in the development of new medical procedures; yet, there is little evidence to suggest that those procedures are best for pre-hospital emergency incidents.

The ALS protocols for Cardiac Arrests have little difference between In-hospital Resuscitation Teams and Pre-hospital EMS, the hospital team is composed of about eight personnel as opposed to two when in the community yet treatment protocols are the same. Paramedics know that if Return of Spontaneous Circulation isn't achieved before removal from scene the patient doesn't survive, yet we are still performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on patients as we remove them from scene and whilst in transit.

Why isn't Leg Elevation used in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation? The laboratory and hospital researchers claim that auto-transfusion has no beneficial effect on the patient, yet experienced pre-hospital medics, swear that Leg Elevation is beneficial in many ways during the resuscitation. Why have we been pumping large quantities of fluid into trauma patients since the introduction of paramedic procedures in the UK? Research by battlefield medics as long ago as the First World War suggested that fluid resuscitation was detrimental to Hypovolaemic injured soldiers, yet only in the late 1990's are EMS protocols finally starting to reflect that initial line of thought.

Present clinical auditing in EMS is often only providing evaluation of how we have been performing possibly inappropriate procedures since the introduction of pre-hospital ALS approximately 10 years ago and gives no real breakthrough in the future direction of better working practices. The UK Society of EMS Research & Development is for publication of new developments and procedures that have been conceived in the setting of Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine by the personnel who are out there doing the job. New developments in EMS aren't going to work unless the designers have experienced knowledge of managing medical emergencies outside the comfort and safety of a hospital.

This Society is solely about developing better Emergency Medical Services in the UK and giving the patient better Pre-hospital Emergency Care. Joining the Society is simply a matter of submitting articles on developing better working practises in EMS and Pre-hospital Immediate Care. New ideas can be freely available for others to view and if found to be beneficial, adopted as useable procedures.

Anyone with an interest in EMS can submit an article, whether they're a Manager, Doctor, Nurse, Paramedic, Technician, Fire-fighter, etc, etc. Articles should be of good quality material and have references to support the ideas of the author. However articles will be reviewed by a panel of paramedics chosen for their proficiency and perception of Pre-hospital Emergency Care, and published on the article's originality, readability, research and vision for improvement of present procedures.

Research & Development in the Emergency Medical Services seriously lacks interest and funding. With a decade of experience now behind ALS Emergency Medical Services, it's time to create greater awareness for the need to question the purpose of EMS let alone the present protocols and procedures.