Are hospitals with both medical/surgical and psychiatric services associated with decreased difficulty in ambulance transfer for patients with self-harm behaviour? A nationwide retrospective observational study using ambulance transfer data in Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Ambulance diversion and prolonged prehospital transfer time have a significant impact on patient care outcomes. Self-harm behaviour in particular is associated with difficulty in hospital acceptance and longer prehospital transfer time. This study aimed to determine if hospitals with both medical/surgical and psychiatric inpatient beds and high-level emergency care centres are associated with a decreased rate of difficulty in hospital acceptance and shorter prehospital transfer time for patients seeking medical care after self-harm behaviour.

Design and setting

A retrospective observational study using the database of Japanese ambulance dispatch data in 2015.

Participants

Patients who were transferred by ambulances after self-harm behaviour.

Intervention

SUBMITTER: Chiba T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9972460 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature