BACKGROUND In 1999, a new major trauma system was proposed for the state of Victoria, Australia. The guidelines for the new system were aimed at delivering major trauma cases to definitive trauma care in the least time possible. The aim of the present study was to analyse the potential effect of this system on Victoria's ambulance services. METHODS The present study modelled the workload of m...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Few acute stroke patients are treated with alteplase, partly because of significant prehospital delays after symptom onset. The aim of this study was to determine among ambulance-transported stroke patients factors associated with stroke recognition and factors associated with a call for ambulance assistance within 1 hour from symptom onset. METHODS For 6 months in 2004...

* Public education in first aid and resuscitation appropriate clothing with reflective bands and designation labels, a helmet, and protective * An immediate communication system linking those at the accident site fear. Watch f jedmetal edge with ambulance control footwear. Watch for jagged metal edges, petrol . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~and chemical spillages, and drivers who decide to * An instant com...

OBJECTIVE Emergency department overcrowding sometimes results in diversion of ambulances to other locations. We sought to determine the resulting prehospital delays for cardiac patients. METHODS Data on consecutive patients with chest pain who were transported to Toronto hospitals by ambulance were obtained for a 4-month period in 1997 and a 4-month period in 1999, which represented periods o...

AIMS The majority of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are admitted to local hospitals without primary percutaneous coronary intervention (primary PCI) facilities. Acute transferral to an interventional centre is necessary to treat these patients with primary PCI. The present study assessed the reduction in treatment delay achieved by pre-hospital diagnosis and referral d...

A new ambulance is helping deliver emergency medical care in a manner that is intended to improve safety for patients as well as providers, increase efficiency during patient care, decrease supply costs and provide better communication with hospital staff. The ambulance is a working proof of concept using a beta version of Ferno’s new modular iN∫Traxx component set. The ambulance was built for ...

OBJECTIVES Adherence to prehospital guidelines and protocols is suboptimal. Insight into influencing factors is necessary to improve adherence. The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence ambulance nurses' adherence to a National Protocol Ambulance Care (NPAC). METHODS A questionnaire was developed using the literature, a questionnaire and expert opinion. Ambulance nurses (n=...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The National Stroke Foundation of Australia has run 12 public awareness campaigns since 2004. Campaign exposure and funding has varied annually and regionally during this time. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of campaigns on calls to ambulance for stroke across Australia in exposed regions (paid or pro bono advertising). METHODS All ambulance services in...

OBJECTIVES To assess the degree of inappropriate use of the London Ambulance Service and analyse the reasons for misuse. DESIGN An immediate assessment of the appropriateness of the "999" call by the ambulanceperson and casualty senior house officer followed by a retrospective review of each case by the accident and emergency (A&E) consultant. SETTING A busy inner London A&E department. M...

BACKGROUND Current ambulance quality and performance measures, such as response times, do not reflect the wider scope of care that services now provide. Using a three-stage consensus process, we aimed to identify new ways of measuring ambulance service quality and performance that represent service provider and public perspectives. DESIGN A multistakeholder consensus event, modified Delphi st...