Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern University, Berne, Switzerland.
JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021 Nov 12;7(11):e25897. doi: 10.2196/25897.
Ambulance accidents are an unfortunate indirect result of ambulance emergency calls, which create hazardous environments for personnel, patients, and bystanders. However, in European German-speaking countries, factors contributing to ambulance accidents have not been optimally researched and analyzed.
The objective of this study was to extract, analyze, and compare data from online newspaper articles on ambulance accidents for Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. We hope to highlight future strategies to offset the deficit in research data and official registers for prevention of ambulance and emergency vehicle accidents.
Ambulance accident data were collected from Austrian, German, and Swiss free web-based daily newspapers, as listed in Wikipedia, for the period between January 2014 and January 2019. All included newspapers were searched for articles reporting ambulance accidents using German terms representing "ambulance" and "ambulance accident." Characteristics of the accidents were compiled and analyzed. Only ground ambulance accidents were covered.
In Germany, a total of 597 ambulance accidents were recorded, corresponding to 0.719 (95% CI 0.663-0.779) per 100,000 inhabitants; 453 of these accidents left 1170 people injured, corresponding to 1.409 (95% CI 1.330-1.492) per 100,000 inhabitants, and 28 of these accidents caused 31 fatalities, corresponding to 0.037 (95% CI 0.025-0.053) per 100,000 inhabitants. In Austria, a total of 62 ambulance accidents were recorded, corresponding to 0.698 (95% CI 0.535-0.894) per 100,000 inhabitants; 47 of these accidents left 115 people injured, corresponding to 1.294 (95% CI 1.068-1.553) per 100,000 inhabitants, and 6 of these accidents caused 7 fatalities, corresponding to 0.079 (95% CI 0.032-0.162) per 100,000 inhabitants. In Switzerland, a total of 25 ambulance accidents were recorded, corresponding to 0.293 (95% CI 0.189-0.432) per 100,000 inhabitants; 11 of these accidents left 18 people injured, corresponding to 0.211(95% CI 0.113-0.308) per 100,000 inhabitants. There were no fatalities. In each of the three countries, the majority of the accidents involved another car (77%-81%). In Germany and Switzerland, most accidents occurred at an intersection. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, 38.7%, 26%, and 4%, respectively, of ambulance accidents occurred at intersections for which the ambulance had a red light (P<.001). In all three countries, most of the casualties were staff and not uncommonly a third party. Most accidents took place on weekdays and during the daytime. Ambulance accidents were evenly distributed across the four seasons. The direction of travel was reported in 28%-37% of the accidents and the patient was in the ambulance approximately 50% of the time in all countries. The cause of the ambulance accidents was reported to be the ambulance itself in 125 (48.1% of accidents where the cause was reported), 22 (42%), and 8 (40%) accidents in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, respectively (P=.02), and another vehicle in 118 (45.4%), 29 (56%), and 9 (45%) accidents, respectively (P<.001). A total of 292 accidents occurred while blue lights and sirens were used, which caused 3 deaths and 577 injuries.
This study draws attention to much needed auxiliary sources of data that may allow for creation of a contemporary registry of all ambulance accidents in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. To improve risk management and set European standards, it should be mandatory to collect standardized goal-directed and representative information using various sources (including the wide range presented by the press and social media), which should then be made available for audit, analysis, and research.
救护车事故是救护车紧急呼叫的不幸间接结果，这给人员、患者和旁观者带来了危险环境。然而，在欧洲德语国家，造成救护车事故的因素尚未得到最佳研究和分析。
本研究的目的是从奥地利、德国和瑞士的在线报纸文章中提取、分析和比较救护车事故的数据。我们希望强调未来的策略，以弥补救护车和应急车辆事故的研究数据和官方登记册的不足。
使用代表“救护车”和“救护车事故”的德语术语，从奥地利、德国和瑞士的免费网络日报中收集救护车事故数据，时间范围为 2014 年 1 月至 2019 年 1 月。对所有纳入的报纸进行搜索，以查找报道救护车事故的文章。编制和分析事故的特征。仅涵盖地面救护车事故。
在德国，共记录了 597 起救护车事故，相当于每 10 万人中有 0.719 起（95%CI 0.663-0.779）；其中 453 起事故造成 1170 人受伤，相当于每 10 万人中有 1.409 人（95%CI 1.330-1.492），28 起事故造成 31 人死亡，相当于每 10 万人中有 0.037 人（95%CI 0.025-0.053）。在奥地利，共记录了 62 起救护车事故，相当于每 10 万人中有 0.698 起（95%CI 0.535-0.894）；其中 47 起事故造成 115 人受伤，相当于每 10 万人中有 1.294 人（95%CI 1.068-1.553），6 起事故造成 7 人死亡，相当于每 10 万人中有 0.079 人（95%CI 0.032-0.162）。在瑞士，共记录了 25 起救护车事故，相当于每 10 万人中有 0.293 起（95%CI 0.189-0.432）；其中 11 起事故造成 18 人受伤，相当于每 10 万人中有 0.211 人（95%CI 0.113-0.308）。没有死亡。在这三个国家中，大多数事故涉及另一辆车（77%-81%）。在德国和瑞士，大多数事故发生在十字路口。在德国、奥地利和瑞士，救护车事故中有 38.7%、26%和 4%发生在救护车有红灯的路口（P<.001）。在这三个国家中，大多数伤亡人员是工作人员，而且并非罕见的是第三方。大多数事故发生在工作日和白天。救护车事故在四个季节中分布均匀。在 28%-37%的事故中报告了行驶方向，在所有国家中，救护车中大约有 50%的时间有病人。在德国、奥地利和瑞士，救护车事故的原因分别报告为救护车本身（报告原因的事故中占 48.1%）、另一辆车（42%）和其他原因（40%）（P=.02），另有 118 起（45.4%）、29 起（56%）和 9 起（45%）事故的原因分别报告为救护车本身和另一辆车（P<.001）。当使用蓝灯和警笛时，共发生了 292 起事故，造成 3 人死亡和 577 人受伤。
本研究提请人们注意急需辅助数据来源，这可能允许在奥地利、德国和瑞士创建一个当代救护车事故登记册。为了改善风险管理和制定欧洲标准，应强制使用各种来源（包括广泛的新闻界和社交媒体）收集标准化的、有针对性的和有代表性的信息，然后应将这些信息提供审计、分析和研究。
