Prehospital Helicopter Air Ambulances Part 1: Access, Protocols, and Utilization

In the prehospital setting, helicopter air ambulances (HAAs) are used to bring advanced care to patients and reduce time to definitive care. Research related to emergency medical service (EMS) professionals' access to medical helicopters, protocols for HAA use, and prevalence of HAA transport for different patient types is sparse. Our first objective was to describe EMS professionals' access to HAA and the prevalence of written protocols regarding their use. Next, we looked at HAA use for specific patient types (trauma, nontraumatic chest pain, stroke, and pediatric).

We conducted a census survey of nationally certified EMS professionals. Descriptive analyses were performed.

There were 15,366 responses. Over 90% of nationally certified EMS professionals had access to at least 1 HAA service. Of these, 86% had the authority to request a medical helicopter, and two thirds reported having written HAA protocols. Although HAAs were used mostly for trauma patients, EMS professionals also used these resources for nontrauma transports of patients with time-sensitive conditions.

Most nationally certified EMS professionals had access to a medical helicopter service and used these resources mainly for trauma patients. About one third reported they did not have or were unsure if their agency had written protocols for HAA use.