Efficiency Assessment Model Development of Emergency Medical Service Systems: Case Study of Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Authors

  • พงษ์ชัย จิตตะมัย School of Industrial Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology
  • นัทธ์ดนัย จันลาวงศ์ School of Industrial Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology
  • วิจัย บุญญานุสิทธิ์ School of Information Technology, Institute of Social Technology, Suranaree University of Technology
  • สุชาดา มีไชยโย Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital

Keywords:

Emergency Medical Service, Operations Research, Efficiency Assessment Model

Abstract

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) plays an important role in pre-hospital patient care service. Generally, its efficiency is assessed by the response time of the service to the incident scene. However, measuring only the response time does not reflect the overall efficiency because there are other factors affecting the service efficiency, such as area coverage of the incidents, service availability, and risk control. This study aims to develop a holistic EMS efficiency assessment model by evaluating service operations in  (1) Incident coverage (2) Response time to the incident (3) Service availability (4) Staff safety and (5) Risk management capability, by using operations research and management service tools. This study selected Nakhon Ratchasima Muang District as the targeted area. There are 13 EMS stations in the city, including seven full-service EMS stations and six primary stations. Efficiency analysis of each dimension was assessed in term of percentage to reflect the potential of the overall service. The evaluation results indicated the efficiency for each dimension as follows: 82.8 percent for incident coverage, 90.09 percent for response time, 78.29 percent for service availability, 77.17 percent for staff safety, and 85.83 percent for risk management capability. In conclusion, the current EMS stations have limited capability on service availability and staff safety. The recommended solution includes establishing more EMS stations at appropriate locations. Also, this model would act as a tool for policy-making to enhance the quality of emergency medical service.

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Published

2019-06-04