Rural Emergency Medical Services. Abstract, Executive Summary, Final Report andAppendices A and B

摘要

This pilot study described the nature of emergency medical service (EMS)provision in a 12-county rural region surrounding Augusta, GA during 1991. The study used ambulance trip report data together with Georgia death certificate data, and data from the trauma registry of the Medical College of Georgia. The study finds that: (1) it is feasible to collect and code these data and link them to death records; (2) trip report data provide a good measure of trauma severity that is uncorrelated with variables of policy interest; (3) EMS response times in this rural area are comparable or better than those found in metropolitan areas; (4) severe trauma is a rare event for rural EMS teams; and (5) rural ambulances are used extensively, but seldom provide advanced medical services.