Ambulance redeployment is the practice of repositioning ambulance fleets in real time in an attempt to reduce response times to future calls. When redeployment decisions are based on real-time information on the status and location of ambulances, the process is called system-status management. An important performance measure is the long-run fraction of calls with response times over some time ...

OBJECTIVES We sought to assess microbial air quality and bacterial surface contamination on medical instruments and the surrounding areas among 30 ambulance runs during service. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study of 106 air samples collected from 30 ambulances before patient services and 212 air samples collected during patient services to assess the bacterial and fungal counts at t...

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Opioid overdose fatalities are a significant concern globally. Non-fatal overdoses have been described as a strong predictor for future overdoses, and are often attended by the ambulance services. This paper explores characteristics associated with non-fatal overdoses and aims to identify possible trends among these events in an urban area in Norway. DESIGN AND METHODS T...

OBJECTIVE To assess daily variations in ambulance calls for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), mental and behavioral disorders, and external causes in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia, in 2000-2008. STUDY DESIGN A population-based study. METHODS Data about all ambulance calls during the years 2000-2008 were obtained from the Arkhangelsk ambulance station. Information about patient's gender, age, ...

BACKGROUND An optimal ambulance response interval is desirable for emergency medical services (EMS) operations. Arriving on scene within a treatment time window is often delayed for many reasons, including overwhelming call volume. OBJECTIVE To determine whether an association exists between the ambulance call volume (ACV), the unavailable-for-response (UFR) interval, and the delayed ambulanc...

How should one allocate a fleet of ambulances to fixed bases with the goal of keeping response times to calls as small as possible? We present two new models for this problem, both of which are based on the Erlang loss formula. The first model is stylized, and shows that allocating ambulances in proportion to the offered load is not necessarily optimal and can often be substantially improved up...

BACKGROUND High levels of stress among ambulance personnel have been attributed to the conditions of ambulance work. However, there is little research to support this notion, and it has been questioned whether ambulance work is inherently stressful. We compared the severity and frequency level of organizational and ambulance-specific stressors, and studied their relationship to organizational c...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether ambulance crew triage trauma patients appropriately. DESIGN A retrospective descriptive study. SETTINGS Cornwall County Ambulance Service. VARIABLES STUDIED On-scene times, injury severity, establishment of intravenous infusion and time from scene to A&E department. SUBJECTS Patients with compound fracture of the lower limb taken to Truro Accident and Emer...

OBJECTIVE To assess the cost-effectiveness of an ambulance service within a comprehensive hospital/community-based program aimed at improving access and quality of reproductive health in poor-resources settings. METHODS Obstetrical cases referred to the hospital with the ambulance during a 3-month period were prospectively recorded. Clinical indications were used to determine the effectivenes...