Appropriateness of transport of children via emergency medical service providers according to the decision-maker on referred hospitals
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Journal
; : 85-91, 2017.
Article
in Ko
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-225123
Responsible library:
WPRO
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the appropriateness of transport of children via emergency medical service providers (EMSP) according to the decision-maker on referred hospitals (EMSP [EMSP group] vs. guardians [user group]). METHODS: We analyzed first aid records by EMSP for children aged 15 years or younger in Gyeonggi province, Korea, from January 2012 through December 2013. We obtained the following data: scene, symptom, type (high-level [regional/local emergency medical centers] or not) and location (out-of-province or not) of referred hospitals, injury, level of consciousness (alert or not), and prehospital triage results by EMSP (emergent/less emergent or not). RESULTS: A total of 50,407 children were included, of whom 37,626 (74.6%) belonged to the user group. Overall, the most common scene, symptom, and type and location of referred hospitals were home (57.0%), pain (33.3%), and inside-theprovince and local emergency medical centers (44.2%), respectively. The user group showed less frequent injury (P < 0.001), decreased level of consciousness (P < 0.001), and no significant difference in the triage results (P = 0.074). This group showed more frequent transport to high-level and out-of-province emergency medical centers (P < 0.001), and longer transport (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The user group showed more frequent transport to high-level or remote referred hospitals without more critical prehospital triage results. Guardian-directed transport of children might be associated with the inappropriate transport of children via EMSP.
Key words
Full text:
1
Index:
WPRIM
Main subject:
Epidemiology
/
Ambulances
/
Transportation of Patients
/
Triage
/
Consciousness
/
Emergencies
/
Emergency Medical Services
/
First Aid
/
Korea
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
Ko
Journal:
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Journal
Year:
2017
Type:
Article