Aligning ambulance dispatch priority to patient acuity: A methodology

Emergency Medicine Australasia : EMA
Emily AndrewKaren Smith

Abstract

In Victoria, Australia, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) demand has increased almost 5% per annum over the past 5 years. This may adversely affect response times to time-critical patients. Additionally, >55% of cases have received Code 1 (lights/sirens) responses. Primary telephone triage occurs using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS); however, MPDS is reported to be highly sensitive, with common over-triage. The present study describes the methodology applied to better align the response allocated to MPDS determinant codes with patient acuity. Data between October 2013 and August 2014 were extracted from the Ambulance Victoria data warehouse. The decision to allocate MPDS determinant codes to a lower response priority and/or secondary triage was based on epidemiological profiling and, in some cases, expert panel review. The review identified 105 MPDS codes receiving a Code 1 response as suitable for a Code 2 (urgent) response, and 221 Code 1 or 2 codes as suitable for secondary triage. Data analysis estimated a reduction in Code 1 responses by 28%, and an increase in the secondary triage caseload by 120%. Modelling also predicted a 2.6 percentage point improvement in the proportion of Code 1 cases attended within 15 m...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 27, 2019·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Emily AndrewKaren Smith
Jun 22, 2021·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Emily AndrewKaren Smith
Jun 18, 2021·Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine·Sriram RamgopalChristian Martin-Gill
Oct 14, 2020·The American Journal of Emergency Medicine·Sriram RamgopalChristian Martin-Gill

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