The Division of Emergency Medicine at UCT has initiated an ambitious and long-overdue project to develop context-specific Clinical Practice Recommendations (EM-CPR) to support decision-making in emergency centres across South Africa.

Led by a multidisciplinary working group of clinicians, academics, and public sector partners, EM-CPR aims to produce rapid, accessible, and locally relevant guidance for emergency medicine practitioners, particularly in under-resourced settings. The process draws on the best available evidence but interprets and applies it through the lens of equity, feasibility, and frontline realities.

Each recommendation is designed to fit seamlessly into clinical workflows, and the platform is being developed in partnership with EMGuidance, a widely used mobile and digital tool for emergency care providers in South Africa. Early topics have included scorpion envenomation and  TXA in paediatric trauma —all based on high-priority areas identified by clinicians on the ground.

The EM-CPR process is underpinned by transparent methods, peer review, and a commitment to continuous revision as evidence and practice evolve. It also builds capacity by involving postgraduate students and junior clinicians in evidence appraisal and drafting.

With this initiative, UCT’s Division of Emergency Medicine is strengthening clinical governance and promoting shared standards of care in South Africa’s emergency care system.