Air medical response for illness revisited

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medical Services
• Prehospital Care
• Medical Transport

Background:

• Previous research indicated high rates of inappropriate air medical scene transports for illness in Columbus, Ohio.
• An aggressive prehospital educational program was implemented between 1991-1993 to address these concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if the implemented educational program reduced inappropriate air medical scene transports for illness.
• To assess changes in patient demographics, diagnoses, and medical needs following the educational initiative.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, retrospective review of air medical transports for illness from the scene.
• Data was collected over a 27-month period (ending September 1993) from a single air medical service in central and southeastern Ohio.

Main Results:

• The percentage of scene transports for illness decreased from 10% (1988-90) to 2.6% (1991-93) of total missions.
• Significant reductions were observed in transports for cardiac arrest, while transports for seizures increased.
• Appropriate tertiary care needs and helicopter utilization increased, indicating more appropriate use of air medical services.

Conclusions:

• The aggressive prehospital educational program was effective in significantly decreasing inappropriate helicopter use for scene transports of illness.
• The findings suggest that targeted education can optimize the utilization of air medical resources.