Automatic helicopter standby policy for seriously injured patients.

BACKGROUND

Automatic standby (AS) of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) may allow improved utilization appropriateness (UA) for scene trauma, although this has not been studied.

METHODS

HEMS records were reviewed for 16 months, including date, county of origin, and UA. Data were analyzed descriptively with chi(2) where appropriate.

RESULTS

Of 274 flights, there was no significant change in UA where AS was in place versus where it was not (P =.36). One county had an increase in total flights with AS in use without a significant change in UA (P =.10).

CONCLUSION

In this region, use of an AS policy for scene trauma resulted in increased utilization of HEMS without a corresponding change in UA. Specifically, inappropriate utilization did not increase. This finding suggests that such a policy does not incur overutilization despite increasing total flights. Further study with larger numbers is necessary to draw definitive conclusions.