Principles of physics and human factors through a motor vehicle rescue related case typology.

Rescue is a specialization within emergency medical care: an emerging profession that aspires to prehospital evidence-based practice. The historical emphasis has been on the “how to” (technical and procedural knowledge) to manage and/or mitigate an incident with little and sometimes no emphasis and explanation as to the “why” (theoretical knowledge). The ‘typical’ and ‘atypical’ cases within motor vehicle related rescue scenario typologies were constructed through a Delphi Technique involving rescue experts. The deconstruction of the typical case presentation constituted a chronology of events that highlighted the intersections of physics and human mechanics. Through document analysis the curricula of motor vehicle rescue training subjects was evaluated for alignment to education and practice pertaining to principles of physics and human mechanics. Recommendations to improve rescue education theory and practice are made. The vertical and horizontal discourse of medical rescue is enhanced. This auger well for professionalization and scholarly endeavours in rescue, a field embedded with parochialism and a technical focus. The semantic gravity and semantic density of physics deserves more coverage in medical rescue education.