Emergency medicine in Japan

We describe the development and current state of the practice of acute care medicine in Japan. Included are descriptions of the structure and organization of the critical care transfer system, out-of-hospital care system, and hospital classification. We also outline the training and equipment necessary for the various levels of out-of-hospital care providers, as well as that needed for certification as an emergency physician. [O'Malley RN, O'Malley GF, Ochi G. Emergency medicine in Japan. Ann Emerg Med. October 2001;38:441-446.]