Actual EMS Arrival Time: How Should It Be Measured?

[x635 4,066]

How should EMS arrival time be measured?

I believe it should be measure at the time of patient contact by a responder who is a certified and equipped provider (EMT, Medic).

If you arrive at, let's say, 10:03hrs, and it's a multiple story building and you don't make contact with the patient until 10:09hrs, should the the actual arrival time?

I know some agencies monitor both, but the arrival time and patient contact time can make a huge difference.

[vtach39680 23]

I feel it should be measured by the arrival of a certified crew and a transporting vechicle ambulance, speciality use ems vechicle

[AFS1970 504]

So wait you mean phrases like "in the area" don't equal a fast response? I am shocked!

One thing that has changed the way that arrival times are calculated are MDT's. Since there is an arrival icon (button) on the screen, it gets hit before getting out of the rig. In that highrise scenario you gave there could be allot of time between that and patient contact.

Since many EMS contracts require a certain percentage of calls be handled within a certain time frame, I doubt you will ever see any change that extends enroute times, even if it might lead to better patient care standards.

[FireMedic049 597]

The fact is all times should be measured as they all have statistical significance in evaluating performance of the various components of the system.

[WAS967 97]

Curb time and contact time should indeed be separate data points and monitored separately. Just like dispatch time and responding times should be monitored separately. Just because a unit has been dispatched doesn't mean they are responding (don't we all wish). Chute times are important to track as well. Some agencies also track times on scene and with over a certain time on scene (20 minutes perhaps?) you have to document a reason for the delay.

[velcroMedic1987 330]

Doesn't matter what times you use/record and it doesn't matter how many different data points are used if it doesn't have any impact on the system and your future operations. If you don't change your system based on your data, why bother collecting it?

Of course we have agencies that operate based on the way we've been doing it since ambulances were cadillacs and the crew chief had advanced first aid. To them statistics is just another word.

[mikeinet 37]

I somewhat agree with Velcro's comments... what value is it going to provide measuring "pt contact time" unless you want your staff literally running to every call.

I wonder from a technical way how would you even measure this - if you had to radio "pt side" to dispatch, think of the amount of increased radio traffic, fighting for a signal in crappy buildings, etc.

I always went by the rule of thumb "you're not on scene until the ambulance is in park" for the reason that if you call out "on scene" and happen to get into an accident parking, while 20 seconds away, etc. it could become an issue that you told your dispatcher officially you were no longer "moving"