Helicopter-based emergency medical services for a sparsely populated region: A study of 42,500 dispatches.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Norway is operated day and night, despite challenging geography and weather. In Western Norway, three ambulance helicopters, with a rapid response car as an alternative, cover close to 1 million inhabitants in an area of 45,000 km(2) . Our objective was to assess patterns of emergency medical problems and treatments in HEMS in a geographically large, but sparsely populated region.

Methods

Data from all HEMS dispatches during 2004-2013 were assessed retrospectively. Information was analyzed with respect to patient treatment and characteristics, in addition to variations in services use during the day, week, and seasons.

Results

A total of 42,456 dispatches were analyzed. One third of the patients encountered

SUBMITTER: Osteras O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5064740 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature