Unfortunately, ambulance crashes are relatively common. A lack of vehicle performance standards, maintenance, and proper safety restraint contribute to the human toll caused by at least 6,500 ambulance crashes a year (Zagaroli & Taylor, 2003). A study conducted in 2002, documented that the occupational motor vehicle fatality rate for emergency medical personnel was four times the national average for other occupations (Levick & Swanson, 2005). Rural ambulance crashes are of great concern. They are usually much more severe than urban crashes because rural ambulances travel at higher speeds and thus there is greater potential for harm if a crash occurs. Further, the roadway typology, with narrower roads, few dividers, limited lighting, and no shoulders, in addition to slower emergency response times in the event of an ambulance crash, can make an already dangerous crash scene worse (Weiss, Ellis, Ernst, Land, & Garza, 2001). Ambulance crashes occurring on rural roadways are more likely to result in death to emergency medical personnel, the patient, and occupants of other vehicles. When a rural crash does not involve fatalities, there are often significant delays associated with the continued transportation of the initial patient. Often times, multiple ambulances must be dispatched from surrounding communities, resulting in transportation delays for the original patient as well as the new patients resulting from the ambulance crash itself. Little is known about ambulance crashes in general and rural ambulance crashes specifically. This paper will review the current literature, discuss the implications for rural emergency medical service (EMS) agencies and personnel, and provide a sample policy or protocol that could be adapted for use in most communities.
Rural Ambulance Crash: Literature Review
2008
48 pages
Report
No indication
English
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