From a late-night crocodile attack in Australia’s remote outback, or a volcanic eruption off the coast of Aotearoa New Zealand, to a Palestinian city under aerial bombardment or a cardiac arrest in a remote Pacific atoll, emergency clinicians are every society’s safety net.

When Minutes Matter is a collection of deeply personal stories written by frontline healthcare workers who connect with patients experiencing acute illness and injury, and support communities in times of crisis. It showcases global emergency care at its best - honouring the tireless and selfless work of emergency care providers who care for patients at their most vulnerable - and celebrates the common humanity and solidarity of clinicians around the world. During the darkest of times for many individuals, these stories from clinicians reaffirm the strength of human connection and the powerful role emergency medical care plays in people’s lives.

The impacts of COVID-19 have shone a much-needed spotlight on the essential role of healthcare workers. In times of stress and uncertainty, these are the people in whom patients and their families place trust, not only to provide immediate, life-saving care but to advocate for them beyond the crisis. This important anthology highlights entrenched inequities and reveals the challenges for urgent healthcare delivery in both resource-rich and resource-limited environments, through the voices of those who understand healthcare systems best.

The knowledge, skill and empathy of these extraordinary professionals has a deep impact on the communities they serve every day, in all the moments that matter most.

This book was edited by Jennifer Jamieson and Rob Mitchell, Australian emergency physicians engaged in emergency care development across the globe, on behalf of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and International Federation for Emergency Medicine.

Stories contained within the book reflect the experiences and perspectives of the individual authors, and do not represent the College’s formal views or positions.