The Croatian Institute of Emergency Medicine (CIEM) is a public health institution for performing emergency medicine and telemedicine activities in the Republic of Croatia. It started operating in May 2009 and was established on the basis of the Government Regulation on the Establishment of the CIEM (OG 28/09). Its powers and scope of activities, as well as the organization, administration and management of the CIEM are defined by the Health Care Act (OG 100/18) and the CIEM Statute.

The CIEM implements the principles of comprehensiveness, continuity, availability and comprehensive access to emergency medical services, supporting the need for a specialised approach in both outpatient as well as hospital health care. Through continuing co-operation with the county institutes of emergency medicine, hospital emergency medical services and other stakeholders in the emergency patient care process, the CIEM ensures the implementation of emergency health care measures, emergency transportation of sick and injured persons to appropriate health care facilities and health care during transport. The CIEM proposes and designs training programmes for lifelong/continuing education and participates in the implementation and monitoring of education and professional training of emergency medicine workers.

The CIEM organizes and regulates the introduction of telemedicine services in the Croatian health care system, i.e. the provision of remote health care services through the use of information and communication technologies in order to exchange information which is important for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illnesses and injuries, and information which is important for research and evaluation and implements training of healthcare workers with a view to improving the health of individuals and their communities.

The CIEM performs professional and scientific activities within the framework of the rights and duties of the Republic of Croatia in the field of emergency medicine and telemedicine, and it performs them at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Through continuing monitoring of performance indicators, and respecting the rules of the profession and supporting the need for a specialized approach, the CIEM proposes the conditions, organisation and manner of provision of emergency medicine and telemedicine in Croatia with the aim of improving the quality of health care provision.

Our basic mission is to ensure quick and accessible emergency medical care to all citizens of Croatia and its visitors through a unified system of emergency medicine in Croatia and to facilitate the provision of top-quality specialized health services in all parts of Croatia, including the islands, rural and transport-isolated areas through the use of telemedicine.

The vision of the CIEM is continuing and strategic development of the emergency medicine and telemedicine system oriented towards even more favourable and quality organisational solutions that will enable more efficient and quality, more accessible and balanced provision of health care in Croatia and offer citizens the possibility of participating in taking care of their own health and the health of others.