PubMed · 10241739
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1979-04-13. Ambulance stations.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10241739/
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OBJECTIVES: To examine the performance of a rural ambulance trust during two time periods, 1996/97 and 2001, with respect to achieving standards for ambulance journey times and delivery of clinical care for patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Audit datasets on two cohorts of patients with chest pain and suspected AMI were assembled by the Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust in north west England: 3706 patients during 1996/97 and 3423 in 2001. They were transported to four hospitals. The analyses covered journey timings, role of rapid response vehicles (RRV), and clinical procedures and the results were compared with prevailing national standards. RESULTS: Hourly and daily usage patterns were similar in the two periods. During 1996/97 the national rural target of 95% of response times being within 19 minutes was achieved (96% of calls), unlike the target of 50% within eight minutes (45.3% of calls). During 2001, 2684 (78.4%) calls had response times within eight minutes thus exceeding the revised national target of 75%. RRVs were despatched for 1214 (35.5%) of calls in 2001, and the mean response time (SD) for these vehicles was significantly shorter than for front line ambulances (0:05:53 (0:02:49) versus 0:07:04 (0:04:19), p<0.001), likewise the mean call to hospital time (0:32:38 (0:09:28) v 0:35:01 (0:12:09), p<0.001). Patients in 2001 were more likely to be given aspirin by the ambulance crews (74% of cases), while the rate of cannulation was lower. CONCLUSION: A significant improvement has been achieved in the performance of ambulance services in Lancashire since 1996, because of recently introduced strategies, notably RRVs, and in the presence of more demanding national standards and targets.
BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest is the most widely recognised prehospital event that early intervention can directly affect. Chance of survival from this event decreases every minute that passes without treatment. To deliver a rapid ambulance response to these patients the early detection of cardiac arrest by control room staff is crucial. To achieve this, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) uses the Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System. What impact has AMPDS had on identifying patients in cardiac arrest? Does compliance with AMPDS protocol influence the identification of patients in cardiac arrest? METHODS: A two stage study was undertaken. The first, compared cases coded as "cardiac arrest" and found by the responding ambulance to be in cardiac arrest before the implementation of AMPDS. This was compared with cases triaged as "cardiac arrest" and found to be in cardiac arrest across three years after AMPDS implementation. The second stage compared AMPDS compliance, over a 32 month period against the percentage of cardiac arrest calls that were found to be cardiac arrest upon the ambulance arrival. The correlation coefficient was calculated and analysed for statistical significance. FINDINGS: AMPDS resulted in a 200% rise in the number of patients accurately identified as suffering from cardiac arrest. A relation was identified between identification and AMPDS compliance (r(2) = 0.65, p = 0.001). DISCUSSION: The implementation of AMPDS increased accurate identification of patients in cardiac arrest. Additionally, the relation between factors identified suggests compliance with protocol is an important factor in the accurate recognition of patient conditions.
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