Introduction
The difficult work of ambulance doctors is also complicated by citizens unable to define the appropriateness of their call to the service. In critical situations, this can have fatal consequences for some patients. The work offers academic sources that have studied this problem.
Gardner GJ. The use and abuse of the emergency ambulance service: some of the factors affecting the decision whether to call an emergency ambulance. Emergency Medicine Journal. 1990 Jun 1;7(2):81-89.
Problem
When an emergency arises, under the pressure of panic, it is difficult for people to determine whether it is appropriate to call an ambulance or not.
Intervention
After entering the hospital, patients and doctors were interviewed to find out how correctly the patients determined their condition.
Comparison
The public awareness of the circumstances in which immediate medical assistance can reduce service load.
Outcome
Patients poorly know ambulance work – only 62% correctly identified their conditions to calling for help.
Kirkby HM, Roberts LM. Inappropriate 999 calls: an online pilot survey. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2012 Feb 1;29(2):141-146.
Problem
Inappropriate calls can cause death or severe complications in a patient to whom doctors did not have time to arrive due to unavailability.
Intervention
Researchers have created an online questionnaire to see if people understand situations in which to call an ambulance. According to the number of points respondents received for interpreting scenarios, the level of understanding of the relevance of calls was determined.
Comparison
Compared to the first resource, such a survey showed that the primary source of inappropriate calls is panic.
Outcome
In situations where the help of doctors is definitely needed, most respondents would call for help. However, in 2 out of 7 cases, the study identifies a problem when there is no need for specialists, but calls are received.
Edwards MJ, Bassett G, Sinden L, Fothergill RT. Frequent callers to the ambulance service: patient profiling and impact of case management on patient utilisation of the ambulance service. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2015 May 1;32(5):392-396.
Problem
There are a certain number of patients who often and without a significant reason, apply to an ambulance. It interferes with the correct work of the ambulance and drains out limited resources.
Intervention
A group of patients, who often called an ambulance, was identified. Researchers highlighted factors that helped reduce the number of calls from this group of patients.
Comparison
The main focus here is on those who make constant calls, not on single ones.
Outcome
Competent management of a group of complex patients and prior intervention, such as regular observation by a doctor, helps to decrease the load on the ambulance service.
Conclusion
These sources reveal several aspects of inappropriate ambulance calls. The main problem is the inability of people to determine the situation in which to contact an ambulance. For its solution, it is necessary to increase citizens’ knowledge of ambulance work.
References
- Gardner GJ. The use and abuse of the emergency ambulance service: some of the factors affecting the decision whether to call an emergency ambulance. Emergency Medicine Journal. 1990; 7(2):81-89.
- Kirkby HM, Roberts LM. Inappropriate 999 calls: an online pilot survey. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2012; 29(2):141-146.
- Edwards MJ, Bassett G, Sinden L, Fothergill RT. Frequent callers to the ambulance service: patient profiling and impact of case management on patient utilisation of the ambulance service. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2015; 32(5):392-396.