Ambulance Response Times in Developing Emergency Health Care Systems

Bachelor Thesis , 2006 , 35 Pages , Grade: A

Health - Miscellaneous

Dispatcher training can improve ambulance response times in emergency medical service (EMS) systems in low income countries. Emergency health care systems are of increasing concern in international healthcare developments and the global fight against the burdens of disease. Studies show that emergency health care improvements in developing countries should focus on ambulance response. Low-cost changes including emergency medical dispatch training in developing urban emergency health care systems can improve ambulance response times. Concerns about focusing on ambulance response time as a single indicator are addressed by showing a case sensitive approach for developing emergency health care systems that in return can identify ambulance response as main indicator for a particular system. This approach has been chosen for the subject of study, the Osh Ambulance Service, a municipal EMS in Kyrgyzstan. This particular service, the implemented research, the study design and, the data analysis are presented. The data show that there has been a change from an average response time of 23, 18 minutes to 20, 15 minutes. This data is statistically significant and indicates that the implemented changes, despite severe challenges, likely have an effect, but it is unclear if this change will have a large clinical impact. Further research on emergency medical dispatch and emergency medical response in low- and middle- income countries is encouraged. With increased opportunities and further globalization emergency health care professionals could play a greater role in research and development of emergency medical service systems in resource-limited countries.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Statement of the problem
  • Introduction
    • Why was the research started
    • We need to improve health care in 3rd world countries.
    • In order to do this, we need to improve emergency care.
      • Why emergency care?
      • Why focus on this?
      • Ambulance response time plays an important role in improving the outcome of patients in health emergencies.
      • Ambulance response time has impact on short-term survival.
      • Need for sustainable approaches in low- and middle-income countries in order to improve emergency health care. One approach could be ambulance response time.
• Survey of the literature
  • How do we improve emergency care in an area with limited resources?
  • Training is one way to do this.
  • Dispatcher Training can be effective.
    • What training programs are available for dispatchers?
  • How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our training?
    • Look at ambulance response times,
      • Is this a good method?
        • Some say yes - why?
          • Ambulance response has been area of interest in recent years.
          • Ambulance response is prone to perceptions, demands and utilization of emergency medical services.
          • Changes are necessary in order to improve response time.
          • Example of changes from Canada.
          • Study that changes in developing countries should focus on ambulance response. Support of pilot projects and research.
        • Some say no - why?
          • Arguments against focus on ambulance response time.
          • Widespread development of indicators is needed.
          • No universal approach to emergency medical service performance indicators has been developed so far.
          • Traditional approach to performance measurement should be questioned.,
          • The right development of indicators is questioned.
        • Counter argument
          • Example of Addis Ababa shows that a case sensitive assessment of performance indicators and focus of change should be developed – in individual case can this be ambulance response time.
  • Research design and data collection
    • Study design and protocol:
      • Experimental research design
      • Collect data for ambulance response times before and after implementation of training program
    • Subjects
      • Osh Ambulance description
      • Dispatchers in that system – description and level of education
      • Ambulance workers - description
    • Interventions
      • Training program – description
      • Tone system description
    • Measurements and other observations
    • Explanation of results and relation to examples from the literature.
  • Conclusion
    • Result supports thesis and importance of topic.
    • Further research in this area is needed.

  Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

  This capstone project aims to investigate the impact of dispatcher training on ambulance response times in developing emergency medical service (EMS) systems, specifically in low-income countries. The project focuses on the need for sustainable approaches to improve emergency healthcare in these regions, recognizing the crucial role of ambulance response time in patient outcomes. The research explores the effectiveness of dispatcher training as a low-cost intervention to enhance ambulance response times, addressing concerns about the limitations of focusing solely on this indicator.

  • Improving emergency healthcare in developing countries
  • The importance of ambulance response time
  • The effectiveness of dispatcher training as a low-cost intervention
  • Addressing concerns about focusing solely on ambulance response time
  • Developing sustainable approaches to emergency healthcare in resource-limited settings

  Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

  The first chapter introduces the problem of inadequate emergency healthcare in developing countries and highlights the importance of improving ambulance response times. It emphasizes the need for sustainable solutions and explores the potential of dispatcher training as a cost-effective intervention. The second chapter delves into the existing literature on improving emergency care in resource-limited settings, examining the effectiveness of training programs for dispatchers. It also discusses the challenges and limitations of using ambulance response time as a sole performance indicator, presenting arguments for and against its use. The third chapter outlines the research design and data collection methods employed in the study, including the experimental design, subject selection, interventions implemented, and measurements taken. The final chapter presents the results of the study, demonstrating the impact of dispatcher training on ambulance response times in the Osh Ambulance Service in Kyrgyzstan. It concludes by emphasizing the need for further research in this area and highlighting the potential for emergency healthcare professionals to contribute to the development of EMS systems in resource-limited countries.

  Schlüsselwörter

  The keywords and focus themes of the text include emergency medical services (EMS), ambulance response times, dispatcher training, developing countries, low-income countries, sustainable healthcare, emergency healthcare, performance indicators, and resource-limited settings. The text explores the impact of dispatcher training on ambulance response times in developing countries, highlighting the importance of this intervention for improving emergency healthcare outcomes in resource-constrained environments.

• College: Andrey Jackson University (American College for Prehospital Medicine)
• Course: Emergency Medical Services
• Grade: A
• Author: Jochen Schmidt (Author)
• Publication Year: 2006
• Pages: 35
• Catalog Number: V129060
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640347803
• ISBN (Book): 9783640347469
• Language: English
• Tags: EMS, Emergency Health Care, Ambulance, Dispatch