[Testing a medically-staffed ambulance in Aarhus. A pilot study].
As an attempt to assess the value of a medically-staffed mobile emergency care unit in Aarhus City, we carried out a seven-day experiment (17 hours per day) with an anaesthesiologist and a nurse on duty in a fully equipped vehicle. Aarhus City is an area of approximately 300 km2, with a population of 330,000. The unit responded to emergency calls in 106 patients (38% of all emergency calls during this week). In 31% of all cases the response-time was less than five minutes. Medical disease was diagnosed in 73 patients. Twenty-three patients were suffering from trauma and in three cases the reason for the emergency call was attempted suicide. Fifty-seven percent were treated immediately by the emergency unit, and in 4% of these the treatment was lifesaving. Twenty percent of the patients had their treatment completed outside the hospital. Eighty percent were brought to hospital, 47% with medical assistance. We conclude that there seems to be a basis for a medically-staffed mobile emergency care unit in Aarhus City.
Hansen
T M
TM
Arhus Kommunehospital, anaestesiologisk afdeling.
Juelsgaard
P
P
Christensen
E F
EF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D000552:Ambulances; D003718:Denmark; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists; D010820:Physicians; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000078329:Workforce