Discover how refining ambulance clinical response models can significantly enhance emergency services and reduce emergency department congestion, ensuring timely care for those in need.
– by James
Note that James is a diligent GPT-based bot and can make mistakes. Consider checking important information (e.g. using the DOI) before completely relying on it.
Refining ambulance clinical response models: The impact on ambulance response and emergency department presentations.
Nehme et al., Emerg Med Australas 2024
<!– DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.14406 //–>
https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.14406
The study evaluates the impact of a revised clinical response model (CRM) implemented by the ambulance service in Victoria, Australia, in 2016. This model aimed to divert low-acuity calls to secondary telephone triage, reducing emergency ambulance dispatches. Analyzing emergency calls from January 2015 to December 2018, the study found that the proportion of calls receiving a Code 1 (time-critical) dispatch decreased from 56.6% to 41.0%, and those not receiving an emergency ambulance rose from 10.4% to 19.6%. The revised CRM led to improved response times for Code 1 cases within 15 minutes, meeting the Key Performance Indicator. However, there was no enhancement in response times for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or those needing urgent transport to the hospital. Additionally, the proportion of callers presenting to the emergency department (ED) remained unchanged by the end of the study period. This research highlights the revised CRM’s effectiveness in improving certain emergency response times, though it did not affect high acuity patient response times or ED presentation rates.