Resource reallocation in an emergency medical service system using computer simulation

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Operations Research
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Emergency medical service (EMS) providers face challenges in optimizing finite resources for maximum effectiveness.
• Current EMS ambulance utilization rates and patient transport times require analysis for potential efficiency improvements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an EMS computer simulation model for resource allocation analysis.
• To evaluate the impact of reducing ambulance numbers on utilization, service quality, and costs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized eM-Plant software to create an EMS computer simulation model.
• Incorporated prehospital care records from Taipei city's EMS system (December 2000 data).
• Manipulated resource allocation levels and idle errand rates within the simulation.

Main Results:

• Current EMS ambulance utilization was found to be 8.78%, with an average transport time of 20.89 minutes.
• Simulations indicated that reducing ambulances to one per response unit increased utilization to 15.47%.
• This reduction did not compromise service quality, slightly affected waiting/arrival times, and yielded cost savings.

Conclusions:

• A single ambulance per response unit is sufficient to maintain operational patterns while improving efficiency.
• The study provides a viable research methodology for EMS resource allocation and policy direction.
• Optimizing ambulance numbers offers a pathway to reduce costs and enhance EMS operational efficiency.