title: Is the emergency ambulance service abused?
abstract: Analysis of 1000 consecutive patients brought to the accident and emergency department of a busy district general hospital by ambulance after emergency "999" telephone calls showed that 51.7% of these journeys were unnecessary. Medical cases accounted for a greater percentage of necessary calls than did trauma and surgical cases. Medical education of the public is essential if the number of these calls is to be cut.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000552:Ambulances; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged