First Aid Newsletter

The Bundestag has passed the emergency care reform – central elements are Integrated Emergency Centers (INZ), telephone initial assessment, and new task division between emergency services and on-call services. Almost every second emergency department reports overload; regional differences in response times and paramedic competencies are to be standardized. The reform addresses misallocations and aims for better cost-effectiveness while maintaining patient safety.

According to current surveys (April 2026), almost 50% of German emergency departments report overload to the point of endangering patient safety. Emergency medical technicians report unnecessary transports and shifts in patient volumes. The situation is exacerbated by structural capacity limits and staffing shortages.

The European Resuscitation Council has updated its guidelines in 2025; the most important change is the recommendation of the two-thumb technique for chest compressions in infants. Schools in NRW must now offer mandatory resuscitation training from grade 7 onwards. These guideline changes require refreshing of existing instructor programs and course contents.

The federal government passed stricter penalties for attacks on doctors and paramedics in October 2026, thereby establishing a protection measure for emergency personnel. This underscores rising aggression against emergency responders and the political need for action. The measure complements the emergency reform.

Current case reports show that lay-person CPR and AED availability can double to triple survival chances in cardiac arrest. Initiatives such as mapping AED locations and pocket defibrillator technology are gaining momentum. However, only 25% of US adults feel confident using CPR/AED.