Abstract
Introduction Proper ambulance use is important not only due to the patient's transport quality but also because of the need for efficient use of limited resources allotted by the system. Therefore, this study was conducted to check for overuse or underuse of the ambulance system by patients who visited the emergency department (ED). Methods In this study, a secondary data analysis was conducted using the existing database of the National Emergency Department Information System with all patients who visited EDs over the three-year study period from 2016 to 2018. The study subjects were classified into the following groups: (1) appropriate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) usage; (2) appropriate no EMS usage; (3) underuse; and (4) overuse groups. Results Of 18,298,535 patients, 11,668,581 (63.77%) were classified under the appropriate usage group, while 6,629,954 (36.23%) were classified under the inappropriate usage group. In the appropriate EMS usage group, there were 2,408,845 (13.16%) patients. In the appropriate no EMS usage group, there were 9,259,706 (50.60%) patients. As for the inappropriate usage group, there were 5,147,352 (28.13%) patients categorized under the underuse group. On the other hand, there were 1,482,602 (8.10%) patients under the overuse group. Conclusion There are many patients who use ambulances appropriately, but there are still many overuse and underuse. Guidelines on ambulance use are necessary for the efficient use of emergency medical resources and for the safety of patients.
Highlights
Proper ambulance use is important due to the patient’s transport quality and because of the need for efficient use of limited resources allotted by the system. erefore, this study was conducted to check for overuse or underuse of the ambulance system by patients who visited the emergency department (ED)
Patients with lower rates of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system use included females, those who were brought to the ED due to disease, those with an alert mental status, and Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) level 3 patients. e EMS system had lower rates of use in the evening and higher rates of use at dawn. e overuse rate was low on Saturdays and Sundays, while the rates of appropriate usage were higher on Saturdays and Sundays than on other days. e results showed that there are higher rates of EMS system usage in cases due to external factors such as trauma or accidents
Conclusion e adequacy of EMS system use and characteristics of ED patients were analyzed. e appropriate usage group accounted for 63.77% of the population, with 13.16% belonging to the group which used the EMS system, and 50.60% belonging to the group which did not use the EMS system
Summary
Erefore, this study was conducted to check for overuse or underuse of the ambulance system by patients who visited the emergency department (ED). E EMS system is a medical resource which operates with limited manpower and funds For this reason, if all patients are brought to EDs using the system, this results in an unnecessary waste of resources and patients will be unable to receive effective treatment. It is important for patients coming to EDs to use the appropriate mode of transportation, taking into consideration their treatment and the efficient distribution of medical resources. Erefore, the researchers tried to analyze the appropriateness of modes of transport to the hospital using data from patients who had visited EDs in Korea over a period of three years Many patients visit EDs through various modes of transport, there has been no evaluation as to whether these transport modes have been used appropriately. erefore, the researchers tried to analyze the appropriateness of modes of transport to the hospital using data from patients who had visited EDs in Korea over a period of three years
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