THE EFFECT OF THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES VEHICLE LOCATION AND RESPONSE STRATEGY ON RESPONSE TIMES

摘要

Response time is currently considered to be an important performance indicator in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems. A number of factors may affect response times, including the location of emergency vehicles and the type of response system design used. This study aimed to assess the effects of emergency vehicle location and response system design on response time performance in a model of a large South African urban EMS system, using discrete-event simulation. Results indicated that both the emergency vehicle location and response system design factors had a significant effect on response time performance, with more decentralised vehicle location having a greater effect.