Pre-hospital emergency care research in South Africa: where are we now as a profession?

The expansion of knowledge is perhaps one of the greatest achievements of humankind. Through the centuries we have gathered information, both structured and not, that shapes our view of the world and the way we interact with each other and our surroundings. The scientific method came about as a structured approach to help us focus on specific problems and answer unique questions. This has led to our knowledge of medicine greatly increasing over time, allowing us to extend life by caring for the ill and injured. Clinical practice has improved greatly because of persistent knowledge acquisition, which forms the basis of modern evidence-based and informed medicine.