An analysis of cost and time for non-emergency calls: A retrospective study on the Emergency Medical Services resources management

Abstract

Background: Non-transported calls refer to calls received by dispatchers, ambulances dispatched, and the patient not being transported to any health facility. There is a need to analyze and scrutinize the number of such calls and the monetary cost associated with them as it will help to build an effective system to prevent wastage of money and time. Objective: The main objective of this study is to determine the cost and time lost due to the use of resources higher than required in non-emergency situations, and then a comparison is being made to determine the acceptable cost if the appropriate resources are used for such cases. Incidence of non-transported Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls and the financial and time burdens in Jubail, classified non-urgent from 2017 to 2019, have wasted EMS resources. This information can be useful to improve EMS operations and allocate resources to control inappropriate usage. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess non-emergency EMS calls in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Study data were obtained from the Royal Commission Health Services Program- Jubail (RCHSP-J) key performance indicator (KPIs) system from 2017 to 2019. Descriptive statistical measures (sum, mean, and percentage), and comparison methods were obtained. Results: The cost from 2017 to 2019 for the non-emergency calls by using the advanced life support ambulance (ALS) was 2,051,651 USD while the cost of emergency calls was 546,037 USD only. On the other hand, the time for the non-emergency calls was 6870 hours (78%) and the emergency calls were only 1769 hours (22%). Conclusion: In systems with limited resources and poor regulation; the non-emergency calls having higher costs and time more than emergency calls from 2017 to 2019, might have caused a delay in providing care for the more serious cases. This involves a significant financial waste that could have been planned to make the system work more efficiently avoiding massive waste of resources.