Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes
<b>Background:</b> An efficient ambulance service is a vital component of emergency medical services. We determined the emergency ambulance response and transport times and ambulance exit outcomes in Bhutan. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional study involving real-time monitori...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/7/6/87 |
| _version_ | 1797481729519255552 |
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| author | Tshokey Tshokey Ugyen Tshering Karma Lhazeen Arpine Abrahamyan Collins Timire Bikash Gurung Devi Charan Subedi Kencho Wangdi Victor Del Rio Vilas Rony Zachariah |
| author_facet | Tshokey Tshokey Ugyen Tshering Karma Lhazeen Arpine Abrahamyan Collins Timire Bikash Gurung Devi Charan Subedi Kencho Wangdi Victor Del Rio Vilas Rony Zachariah |
| author_sort | Tshokey Tshokey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b> An efficient ambulance service is a vital component of emergency medical services. We determined the emergency ambulance response and transport times and ambulance exit outcomes in Bhutan. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional study involving real-time monitoring of emergency ambulance deployments managed by a central toll-free (112) hotline (20 October 2021 to 20 January 2022) was carried out. <b>Results:</b> Of 5092 ambulance deployments, 4291 (84%) were inter-facility transfers, and 801 (16%) were for emergencies. Of the latter, 703 (88%) were for non-pregnancy-related emergencies (i.e., medical, surgical, and accidents), while 98 (12%) were for pregnancy-related emergencies. The median ambulance response and patient transport times were 42 (IQR 3–271) and 41 (IQR 2–272) minutes, respectively. The median round-trip distance travelled by ambulances was 18 km (range 1–186 km). For ambulance exit outcomes that were pregnancy-related (<i>n</i> = 98), 89 (91%) reached the health facility successfully, 8 delivered prior to ambulance arrival at the scene or in the ambulance during transport, and 1 had no outcome record. For the remaining 703 non-pregnancy deployments, 29 (4.1%) deployments were deemed not required or refusals, and 656 (93.3%) reached the health facility successfully; 16 (2.3%) died before the ambulance’s arrival at the scene, and 2 (0.3%) were not recorded. <b>Conclusions:</b> This first countrywide real-time operational research showed acceptable ambulance exit outcomes. Improving ambulance response and transport times might reduce morbidities and mortalities further. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:18:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7c92b22c2034adfa9368805f35da75e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:18:41Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7c92b22c2034adfa9368805f35da75e2023-11-23T19:18:21ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662022-05-01768710.3390/tropicalmed7060087Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and OutcomesTshokey Tshokey0Ugyen Tshering1Karma Lhazeen2Arpine Abrahamyan3Collins Timire4Bikash Gurung5Devi Charan Subedi6Kencho Wangdi7Victor Del Rio Vilas8Rony Zachariah9Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH), Thimphu 11001, BhutanEmergency Medical Services Division (EMSD), Ministry of Health, Thimphu 11001, BhutanDepartment of Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Thimphu 1101, BhutanTB Prevention and Research Centre, Yerevan 0014, ArmeniaThe Union, 7500 Paris, FranceHealth Help Centre (HHC), EMSD, Ministry of Health, Thimphu 11001, BhutanHealth Help Centre (HHC), EMSD, Ministry of Health, Thimphu 11001, BhutanWHO Country Office, Thimphu 11001, BhutanGlobal Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), World Health Organization, SEARO, New Delhi 110011, IndiaResearch and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization, Geneva 1211, Switzerland<b>Background:</b> An efficient ambulance service is a vital component of emergency medical services. We determined the emergency ambulance response and transport times and ambulance exit outcomes in Bhutan. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional study involving real-time monitoring of emergency ambulance deployments managed by a central toll-free (112) hotline (20 October 2021 to 20 January 2022) was carried out. <b>Results:</b> Of 5092 ambulance deployments, 4291 (84%) were inter-facility transfers, and 801 (16%) were for emergencies. Of the latter, 703 (88%) were for non-pregnancy-related emergencies (i.e., medical, surgical, and accidents), while 98 (12%) were for pregnancy-related emergencies. The median ambulance response and patient transport times were 42 (IQR 3–271) and 41 (IQR 2–272) minutes, respectively. The median round-trip distance travelled by ambulances was 18 km (range 1–186 km). For ambulance exit outcomes that were pregnancy-related (<i>n</i> = 98), 89 (91%) reached the health facility successfully, 8 delivered prior to ambulance arrival at the scene or in the ambulance during transport, and 1 had no outcome record. For the remaining 703 non-pregnancy deployments, 29 (4.1%) deployments were deemed not required or refusals, and 656 (93.3%) reached the health facility successfully; 16 (2.3%) died before the ambulance’s arrival at the scene, and 2 (0.3%) were not recorded. <b>Conclusions:</b> This first countrywide real-time operational research showed acceptable ambulance exit outcomes. Improving ambulance response and transport times might reduce morbidities and mortalities further.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/7/6/87SORT IToperational researchuniversal healthcareSDGsBhutanemergency ambulance performances |
| spellingShingle | Tshokey Tshokey Ugyen Tshering Karma Lhazeen Arpine Abrahamyan Collins Timire Bikash Gurung Devi Charan Subedi Kencho Wangdi Victor Del Rio Vilas Rony Zachariah Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease SORT IT operational research universal healthcare SDGs Bhutan emergency ambulance performances |
| title | Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes |
| title_full | Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes |
| title_fullStr | Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes |
| title_short | Performance of an Emergency Road Ambulance Service in Bhutan: Response Time, Utilization, and Outcomes |
| title_sort | performance of an emergency road ambulance service in bhutan response time utilization and outcomes |
| topic | SORT IT operational research universal healthcare SDGs Bhutan emergency ambulance performances |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/7/6/87 |
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