Association of ambulance and helicopter response times with patient survival: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Only sparse scientific evidence supports the notion that the shortest possible response time relates to improved patient outcomes in acute conditions, other than out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and trauma. Confounders such as bidirectional causality and confounding by indication may influence patient-centered outcomes, which may prevent actionable conclusions from literature reviews. The purpose of the systematic literature review was to assess current evidence on association, if any, between ambulance and helicopter response times and survival in all patient categories treated by ambulance or helicopter services.

Methods

The systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Clinical Trial Registries. All study designs and se

SUBMITTER: Hansen PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12622838 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature