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"Time that save lives" while waiting for ambulance in rural environments
Helena Nord-Ljungquist1, Katarina Bohm2, Bengt Fridlund3
1Centre of Interprofessional Collaboration within Emergency Care (CICE), Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden; Division of Nursing and Medical Technology, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.
International Emergency Nursing
|November 15, 2021
Summary
Firefighters provide crucial first aid in rural Sweden through the "While Waiting for the Ambulance" (WWFA) program. This study found WWFA improved response times and patient outcomes, particularly in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) situations.
Area of Science:
- Emergency medical services
- Pre-hospital care
- Public health interventions
Background:
- Long ambulance response times in rural areas necessitate alternative first aid.
- The "While Waiting for the Ambulance" (WWFA) program utilizes firefighters for immediate pre-hospital care in Sweden.
- Understanding the scope and impact of WWFA is crucial for optimizing emergency response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe WWFA assignments in rural Swedish environments.
- To analyze the frequency, timing, and actions taken during WWFA incidents.
- To evaluate survival rates beyond 30 days following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiated by firefighters.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective descriptive and comparative study design.
- Analysis of 518 WWFA assignments in northern Sweden between 2012 and 2016.
- Comparison of response times between firefighters and ambulances, including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) scenarios.
Main Results:
- Firefighters arrived significantly faster than ambulances, especially in OHCA cases (median 19+ min vs. ~38 min).
- CPR was prolonged by firefighters in 83% of OHCA cases.
- Survival beyond 30 days post-OHCA was 9%, with a 17% return of spontaneous circulation.
Conclusions:
- WWFA assignments demonstrate potential for increased efficiency and utilization.
- Optimizing WWFA can significantly benefit patients, particularly those experiencing OHCA.
- The findings highlight the value of integrating firefighters into early emergency medical response systems.
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