Vehicle-at-scene-to-patient-access interval measured with computer-aided dispatch.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the vehicle-at-scene-to-patient-access (VSPA) interval could be measured by means of crew reporting to a computer-aided dispatch operation.

DESIGN

A prospective demonstration-proof-methodology pilot study using crew reporting of access time on emergency calls.

SETTING

An urban, public utility model (a type of EMS system), all-ALS system.

PARTICIPANTS

Six ambulance crews (four day and two night).

INTERVENTIONS

Times were collected by radio reporting. A survey was to be completed for each call.

RESULTS

Two hundred ninety-two calls met study criteria; 181 had corresponding surveys. Crew reporting compliance ranged from 52.8% to 94%. Poor radio transmission was cited infrequently as a reason for noncompliance. The median VSPA interval for all calls was 1.3 minutes (interquartile range, .8 to 2.6 minutes). Twenty-five percent of calls had intervals of more than 2.5 minutes, and 10% had an interval of more than 5 minutes.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that it is feasible for ambulance crews to report patient access times. Methods to improve the consistency and frequency of crew reporting should be considered. The VSPA access interval varies in length and is not normally distributed.