Spatial distribution of prehospital emergency medical services bases in Isfahan province in 2012 using GIS

Abstract

Introduction: Human are constantly exposed to natural and non-natural disasters and when facing such problems, always try to seek a way out. In such situations, he/she would be in need of help from others particularly from rescue organizations such as emergency services. Thus, to provide such services in time, spatial distribution of facilities is of great importance. The spatial distribution of emergency medical services (EMS) units in Isfahan province would be studied in this article. Materials and Methods: This is a case report which describes the distribution of physical and human resources of prehospital emergency care bases. Based on available documents, the number of mentioned resources in different cities of the province was surveyed and then, using Google Earth and Geographic Information System (GIS) software, the density and coverage of the constructed facilities were shown. Results: The density and coverage of EMS units in the western province are more and in the eastern and northern parts including Khoor va biabanak, Nain, Ardestan, and Aran va Bidgol, the coverage is less due to vastity. Conclusion: Based on the results, allocation of resources in different cities of Isfahan province has great differences. Actually, the need to the resources must be determined and the emergency needs must be answered by equitable distribution of resources before entering the hospital in order to prevent further harms and costs.