Auto Launch/Early Activation of Air Medical
Services
Survey of AAMS Members
The purpose of this survey was to determine
the incidence of the use of auto launch/early activation by AAMS members. The
author defined "Auto launch" as "the simultaneous dispatch of air and ground
resources to a 9-1-1 request for EMS based upon predesignated trauma and/or
medical criteria set up by local or regional EMS systems. The auto launch
requests need come through 9-1-1 operations so dispatchers are aware of the
resources being sent…". Of 240 AAMS members surveyed, 93 flight programs
responded to the survey and 86 were determined to be usable responses. Of the
86 usable responses, 83 (96.5%) agreed with the auto launch definition.
Approximately half of the 86 usable
respondents use some sort of auto launch/early activation. However, it is noted
that criteria, protocol, and implementation differ widely among these programs.
Criteria for auto launch commonly consisted of patient condition, event
related, and geographical factors. The authors suggest that auto launch/early
activation may potentially reduce scene response times, emphasizing the use in
rural areas.
It is not clear if the benefit of auto
launch/early activation is related to decreased time from injury to arrival at
a trauma center or due to early intervention by clinicians who bring definitive
treatment to the patient regardless of their location or condition. The authors
acknowledge the potential of bias by the respondents as programs who do not
favor auto launch/early activation were less likely to respond. For more
information, see:
Wish, J., Davis, D. (2005). Auto
launch/early activation: A survey of AAMS members and literature review. Air
Medical Journal, 24(2), 83-88. [review prepared by Jonathan C. Sague, BSN,
RN, EMT-P] |
