The Emergency Life Support (ELS) Provider Course has been carefully developed through extensive clinical experience across multiple tiers of the Sri Lankan healthcare system—ranging from the role of a Senior Medical Officer in an Emergency Treatment Unit to that of a Consultant Emergency Physician in a fully equipped Accident and Emergency Department. The course is also shaped by international exposure to mature emergency care systems in developed countries, where structured workflows and standardized protocols are integral to patient safety and system efficiency. These diverse insights have informed a practical, context-sensitive training program designed to bridge the gap between local practices and global best standards.
The ELS Course was created in response to the significant variation observed in the assessment and management of critically ill patients across Sri Lanka’s primary healthcare settings. Differences in staff expertise, available resources, infrastructure, and institutional systems have contributed to inconsistent care. As a professional body, we recognized the need for a unified, systematic approach to acute patient management.
Built upon internationally recognized guidelines and adapted to the Sri Lankan context, the ELS Course offers a structured framework for the early identification and stabilization of critically ill patients at the point of first contact—regardless of the healthcare facility.
Key areas of focus include:
- Early recognition and triage of cardiac arrests, unstable and critically ill patients, and stable patients who require urgent intervention.
- Appropriate allocation of patients within Emergency Units, ensuring timely care by the right personnel in the appropriate clinical area.
- Training in the management of high-priority clinical presentations such as anaphylaxis, hypoxia, shock, unconsciousness, sepsis, and polytrauma.
- Clear admission and discharge criteria, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and promoting safe transitions of care.
The ELS Course is designed to be inclusive of all frontline healthcare providers—medical officers, intern house officers, nursing staff, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), ambulance drivers, and public health professionals (PHMs/PHIs). By fostering a common language and approach to emergency care, the course aims to elevate the quality and consistency of acute care delivery across the country and align national practices with global emergency medicine standards.