Revising the Ambulance Clinical Response Model in Victoria, Australia: The Impact on Patient Safety

To examine the impact of a revised ambulance clinical response model (CRM) on 24- and 72-h patient outcomes and triage accuracy.

Retrospective study of consecutive ambulance calls in Victoria, Australia between 01/01/2015 and 31/12/2018 linked with hospital and death records. Negative binomial interrupted time series analyses were used.

Among callers referred away from emergency ambulance dispatch, the revised CRM was not associated with any change in mortality; although there was an increasing trend in recontacts. Among all callers, triage accuracy improved; however under-triage was more common.

Ongoing CRM reforms should be informed by patient safety outcomes.