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Ambulance demand: random events or predicable patterns?
Kate Cantwell1, Paul Dietze, Amee E Morgans
1Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ
|November 28, 2012
Summary
Ambulance demand shows distinct temporal patterns by time of day, day of week, and season. These patterns vary by case type and demographics, differing from hospital data.
Area of Science:
- Emergency medical services research
- Public health surveillance
- Healthcare operations management
Background:
- Occupational, social, and recreational activities exhibit temporal patterns.
- The onset of acute medical conditions and injuries also follows predictable timing.
- It remains unclear if these temporal regularities extend to ambulance demand patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate temporal (time of day, day of week, seasonal) patterns in ambulance demand.
- To determine if ambulance demand exhibits predictable temporal variations.
- To compare ambulance demand patterns with those observed in hospital data.
Main Methods:
- Conducted comprehensive electronic searches of Medline and CINAHL (1980-2011).
- Performed hand searches for unpublished government and ambulance service documents and reports (1980-2011).
- Synthesized findings from 38 eligible studies examining temporal patterns in ambulance demand.
Main Results:
- 38 studies analyzed temporal patterns in ambulance demand, with 6 examining overall workload and 32 focusing on specific case types or demographics.
- Time of day patterns in overall ambulance demand were consistent across jurisdictions.
- Day of week and seasonal patterns varied by jurisdiction, case type (e.g., out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, trauma), age, and gender.
Conclusions:
- Ambulance demand exhibits distinct temporal patterns not mirrored in hospital datasets.
- Temporal patterns are consistent across jurisdictions when analyzed by ambulance case type.
- Understanding these temporal variations can enhance ambulance service delivery and resource allocation.
Keywords:
Emergency Ambulance Systems, SystemsParamedicsPre-HospitalPrehospital CareResearch, EpidemiologyMore Related Videos
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