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PREFACE During the past three years, Committees on Trauma, Shock, and Anesthesia, and special task forces of the Division of Medi- cal Sciences, National Academy of Sciences-Nat~onal Research Council, have reviewed with representatives of a large number of organizations the present status of initial care and emergency medical services afforded to the victims of accidental injury. These studies include reviews of ambulance services, voice communi- cation systems, emergency departments and intensive care units of hospitals; appraisal of current research in shock, trauma, and resuscitation; revision of the first aid textbook for the American National Red Cross; preparation of a formal statement on cardio- pulmonary resuscitation; and participation in disaster survey studies. A summary of these deliberations and a number of recommendations designed to reduce accidental death and disability are assembled in this paper.
