Workload Soars for Ambulance Crews
Jason van Rassel. Calgary Herald. Feb 12, 2005. pg. B.9
(Copyright Calgary Herald 2005)
A bigger city and an older population meant Calgary paramedics were busier than ever in 2004.
Calgary Emergency Medical Services took a record number of calls last year, translating into longer response times for ambulances. It has prompted EMS to introduce measures designed to turn things around.
"We're taking long-term steps to address these trends," said EMS Chief Tom Sampson.
EMS responded to 92,439 calls in 2004, an increase of more than five per cent over 2003 and more than double the number of emergencies the service answered a decade ago.
At the same time, the average response time in 2004 grew by four seconds over the previous year to six minutes 56 seconds.
Although EMS is still meeting medical guidelines that call for 90 per cent of calls to be answered in less than eight minutes, Sampson said the department wants response times closer to six minutes.
To help meet that goal, EMS had University of Alberta researchers study its response records over a four-year period and recommend changes.
"Calgary is doing a very good job, given what they have," said Daniel Haight, manager of the U of A's Centre for Excellence in Operations.
Starting this month, EMS is putting an additional ambulance on the road in the city's south end during peak hours, and adding two ambulances during peak hours on weekends.
In a plan designed to get ambulances out of emergency room lines and back on the streets, two paramedics will work at Foothills hospital seven days a week.
That will allow ambulance crews to leave patients in the care of hospital-based paramedics instead of having to wait for them to receive treatment from busy hospital staff.
EMS also tried splitting up ambulance crews waiting in the hospital, and the move paid dividends.
The number of yellow alerts -- declared when the number of available ambulances drops to five or fewer -- fell to 53 in 2004, compared to 76 in 2003.
"If the city's growth continues as it is, they'll keep coming up against the same challenges," Haight said. "(Calgary EMS) will have to continue to innovate."
jvanrassel@theherald.canwest.com
(Copyright Calgary Herald 2005)
A bigger city and an older population meant Calgary paramedics were busier than ever in 2004.
Calgary Emergency Medical Services took a record number of calls last year, translating into longer response times for ambulances. It has prompted EMS to introduce measures designed to turn things around.
"We're taking long-term steps to address these trends," said EMS Chief Tom Sampson.
EMS responded to 92,439 calls in 2004, an increase of more than five per cent over 2003 and more than double the number of emergencies the service answered a decade ago.
At the same time, the average response time in 2004 grew by four seconds over the previous year to six minutes 56 seconds.
Although EMS is still meeting medical guidelines that call for 90 per cent of calls to be answered in less than eight minutes, Sampson said the department wants response times closer to six minutes.
To help meet that goal, EMS had University of Alberta researchers study its response records over a four-year period and recommend changes.
"Calgary is doing a very good job, given what they have," said Daniel Haight, manager of the U of A's Centre for Excellence in Operations.
Starting this month, EMS is putting an additional ambulance on the road in the city's south end during peak hours, and adding two ambulances during peak hours on weekends.
In a plan designed to get ambulances out of emergency room lines and back on the streets, two paramedics will work at Foothills hospital seven days a week.
That will allow ambulance crews to leave patients in the care of hospital-based paramedics instead of having to wait for them to receive treatment from busy hospital staff.
EMS also tried splitting up ambulance crews waiting in the hospital, and the move paid dividends.
The number of yellow alerts -- declared when the number of available ambulances drops to five or fewer -- fell to 53 in 2004, compared to 76 in 2003.
"If the city's growth continues as it is, they'll keep coming up against the same challenges," Haight said. "(Calgary EMS) will have to continue to innovate."
jvanrassel@theherald.canwest.com