[Emergency physician versatility within an integrated network]

This article discusses the role of emergency physicians working in both extra-hospital and hospital settings within the emergency care continuum. Based on a non-exhaustive narrative review and the example of the canton of Valais, it analyses the potential value of such versatility when embedded in a shared care network. Expected benefits mainly concern coordination, triage, information transfer and early activation of specialized pathways. These benefits should be interpreted with caution, as direct evidence of a universal clinical benefit is lacking. The transferability of such a model depends on the local context, shared training, common protocols and the availability of trained physicians.