Role of the intensive care ambulance in the transport of accident victims.

The performance of intensive care ambulance officers (paramedics) has been assessed by an analysis of interventions and outcomes in 75 patients transported by ambulance services to the Westmead Centre following accidents. An injury severity score has been used to compare anticipated with actual results. It appeared that some 20% of patients benefited from paramedical interventions, that some 10% reached hospital alive because of the interventions, and that about 3% survived in the long term because of the interventions. Ambulance officers showed themselves to be accurate in assessing the severity of trauma.