@article{ref1,
title="Study of early warning of accident and emergency departments by ambulance services",
journal="Journal of accident and emergency medicine",
year="1999",
author="Harrison, J. F. and Cooke, M. W.",
volume="16",
number="5",
pages="339-341",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To determine the warning time given to accident and emergency (A&E) departments by the ambulance service before arrival of a critically ill or injured patient. To determine if this could be increased by ambulance personnel alerting within five minutes of arrival at scene. METHODS: Use of computerised ambulance control room data to find key times in process of attending a critically ill or injured patient. Modelling was undertaken with a scenario of the first responder alerting the A&E department five minutes after arrival on scene. RESULTS: The average alert warning time was 7 min (range 1-15 min). Mean time on scene was 22 min (range 4-59 min). In trauma patients alone, the average alert time was 7 min, range 2-15 min, with an average on scene time of 23 min, range 4-53 min. There was a potential earlier alert time averaging 25 min (SD 18.6, range 2-59 min) if the alert call was made five minutes after arrival on scene. CONCLUSIONS: A&E departments could be alerted much earlier by the ambulance service. This would allow staff to be assembled and preparations to be made. Disadvantages may be an increased &quot;alert rate&quot; and wastage of staff time while waiting the ambulance arrival.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1351-0622",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}