Response Times of Motorcycle Ambulances during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Korakot Apiratwarakul; Kamonwon Ienghong; Vajarabhongsa Bhudhisawasdi; Dhanu Gaysonsiri; Somsak Tiamkao

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2020.5527

Authors

Korakot Apiratwarakul Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Kamonwon Ienghong Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Vajarabhongsa Bhudhisawasdi Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Dhanu Gaysonsiri Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Somsak Tiamkao Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.5527

Keywords:

COVID-19, Viruses, Ambulances, Emergency medical services, Response time

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Motorcycles (motorlance) are often deployed as ambulances to the scene of an emergency to reduce response time. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected emergency medical services (EMS) in Thailand in many respects, and this study was conducted to examine its effect on motorlance operation time.

AIM: The aim of the study was to examine motorlance operation time during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to normal periods.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined all EMS motorlance operations dispatched from Srinagarind Hospital (Thailand). Data were collected from the Srinagarind Hospital EMS operation database and hospital information database system. Data from June 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019 (normal period) were compared with those from January 13 to April 21, 2020 (COVID-19).

RESULTS: Eight hundred seventy-one EMS operations were examined over two periods. Mean patient age during the COVID-19 pandemic was 41.5 ± 6.2 years, and 54.6% (n = 59) were male. Average response time was 6.20 ± 1.35 min during the normal period and 3.48 ± 1.01 min during the pandemic (p = 0.021). Transport time was also significantly shorter during the latter period (2.35 vs. 5.20 min).

CONCLUSIONS: Motorlance response and transport time during the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly shorter than usual.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Plum Analytics Artifact Widget Block

References

Soares-Oliveira M, Egipto P, Costa I, Cunha-Ribeiro LM. Emergency motorcycle: Has it a place in a medical emergency system? Am J Emerg Med 2007;25(6):620-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2006.11.030 PMid:17606085 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2006.11.030

van der Pols H, Mencl F, de Vos R. The impact of an emergency motorcycle response vehicle on prehospital care in an urban area. Eur J Emerg Med 2011;18(6):328-33. https://doi.org/10.1097/mej.0b013e32834624e8 PMid:22048417 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MEJ.0b013e32834624e8

Ssebunya R, Matovu JK. Factors associated with utilization of motorcycle ambulances by pregnant women in rural eastern Uganda: A cross-sectional study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2016;16:46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-0808-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-0808-0

Wilson A, Hillman S, Rosato M, Skelton J, Costello A, Hussein J, et al. A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies on maternal emergency transport in low and middle-income countries. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2013;122(3):192-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2013.03.030 PMid:23806250 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2013.03.030

Nakstad AR, Bjelland B, Sandberg M. Medical emergency motorcycle-is it useful in a Scandinavian emergency medical service? Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2009;17:9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-7241-17-9 PMid:19239681 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-7241-17-9

Harmsen AM, Giannakopoulos GF, Moerbeek PR, Jansma EP, Bonjer HJ, Bloemers FW. The influence of prehospital time on trauma patients outcome: A systematic review. Injury 2015;46(4):602-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2015.01.008 PMid:25627482 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2015.01.008

Hofman JJ, Dzimadzi C, Lungu K, Ratsma EY, Hussein J. Motorcycle ambulances for referral of obstetric emergencies in rural Malawi: Do they reduce delay and what do they cost? Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2008;102(2):191-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.04.001 PMid:18555998 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.04.001

Lin CS, Chang H, Shyu KG, Liu CY, Lin CC, Hung CR, et al. A method to reduce response times in prehospital care: the motorcycle experience. Am J Emerg Med 1998;16(7):711-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0735-6757(98)90185-1 PMid:9827757 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0735-6757(98)90185-1

Byrne JP, Mann NC, Dai M, Mason SA, Karanicolas P, Rizoli S, et al. Association between emergency medical service response time and motor vehicle crash mortality in the United States. JAMA Surg 2019;154(4):286-93. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2018.5097 PMid:30725080 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2018.5097

Kim TH, Lee EJ, Shin SD, Ro YS, Kim YJ, Ahn KO, et al. Neurological favorable outcomes associated with EMS compliance and on-scene resuscitation time protocol. Prehosp Emerg Care 2018;22(2):214-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2017.1367443 PMid:28952823 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2017.1367443

Cantwell K, Morgans A, Smith K, Livingston M, Spelman T, Dietze P. Time of day and day of week trends in EMS demand. Prehosp Emerg Care 2015;19(3):425-31. https://doi.org/10.3109/10903127.2014.995843 PMid:25664379 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/10903127.2014.995843

Cabral EL, Castro WR, Florentino DR, Viana DA, Costa JF Jr., Souza RP, et al. Response time in the emergency services. Systematic review. Acta Cir Bras 2018;33(12):1110-21. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-865020180120000009 PMid:30624517 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-865020180120000009

Apiratwarakul K, Ienghong K, Mitsungnern T, Kotruchin P, Phungoen P, Bhudhisawasdi V. Use of a motorlance to deliver emergency medical services: A prospective cross sectional study. Arch Acad Emerg Med 2019;7:e48. PMid:31602431

He F, Deng Y, Li W. Coronavirus disease 2019: What we know? J Med Virol 2020;92(7):719-25. PMid:32170865 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25766

Lake MA. What we know so far: COVID-19 current clinical knowledge and research. Clin Med (Lond) 2020;20(2):124-7. https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2019-coron PMid:32139372 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2019-coron

Guo YR, Cao QD, Hong ZS, Tan YY, Chen SD, Jin HJ, et al. The origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak an update on the status. Mil Med Res 2020;7(1):11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-020-00240-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-020-00240-0

Grasselli G, Pesenti A, Cecconi M. Critical care utilization for the COVID-19 outbreak in Lombardy, Italy: Early experience and forecast during an emergency response. JAMA 2020;323(16):1545-6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.4031 PMid:32167538. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.4031

Lauer SA, Grantz KH, Bi Q, Jones FK, Zheng Q, Meredith HR, et al. The incubation period of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from publicly reported confirmed cases: Estimation and application. Ann Intern Med 2020;172:577-82. https://doi.org/10.7326/m20-0504 PMid:32150748 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-0504

Nishiura H, Linton NM, Akhmetzhanov AR. Serial interval of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. Int J Infect Dis 2020;93:284-6. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.03.20019497 PMid:32145466 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.02.060

Baig AM, Khaleeq A, Ali U, Syeda H. Evidence of the COVID- 19 virus targeting the CNS: Tissue distribution, host-virus interaction, and proposed neurotropic mechanisms. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020;11(7):995-8. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122

Apiratwarakul K, Srimookda N, Phungoen P, Ienghong K, Tiamkao S, Bhudhisawasdi V. Presepsin levels in emergency patients with bacterial and viral infection. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2020;8:20-3. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.3204 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.3204

Apiratwarakul K, Jumroenketpratheep K, Ienghong K, Ruttanaseeha W, Buranasakda M, Bhudhisawasdi V. Hand hygiene of emergency medical service healthcare providers. J Med Assoc Thai 2020;103:8-10.

Ienghong K, Kulsutcharit K, Apiratwarakul K, Gaysonsiri D, Mitsungnern T, Bhudhisawasdi V. Characteristics and mortality in high, intermediate, and low-risk acute pulmonary embolism patients in the emergency department. J Med Assoc Thai 2020;103:42-6.

Apiratwarakul K, Mitsungnern T, Thatphet P, Ienghong K, Ruttanaseeha W, Bhudhisawasdi V. Management of anaphylactic patients by emergency medical services. J Med Assoc Thai 2020;103:11-4.

Apiratwarakul K, Ienghong K, Gaysonsiri D, Buranasakda M, Bhudhisawasdi V, Tiamkao S. Role of motorcycle-based ambulance (motorlance) in major sporting events. J Med Assoc Thai 2020;103:15-7.