title: A comparison of prehospital estimated time of arrival and actual time of arrival to an emergency department.
abstract: The accuracy of the paramedic's estimated time until arrival (ETA) to an emergency department has never been studied. Two hundred and eighty paramedic runs were prospectively studied in a suburban, residency-affiliated emergency department. The average ETA was 7.39 +/- 3.72 minutes. The average actual time until arrival, as clocked by the directing emergency physician was 10.29 +/- 3.95 minutes. Two hundred and twenty-seven (81%) patients arrived later than their ETA. There were 24 (8.5%) cases where the physician's prehospital management would have been different had the ETA been more accurate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, IL 60068.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Propp
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D010343:Patient Admission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013995:Time; D014187:Transportation of Patients