Empirical study of the effects of a systematic approach adopted by emergency life-saving technicians on prehospital time

Research focusing on the effects of the time taken to transport patients to hospitals is lacking. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine whether patient transport times decreased when emergency life-saving technicians (ELTs) were trained to follow a systematic approach. Between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2023, emergency cases that were accepted in one session without a request for transport to another hospital were included. We statistically analyzed whether strengthening the immediate response system through an initial assessment affected patient transport time. A trend toward reduced time spent at the scene of emergency was observed when the immediate response regimen was strengthened via an initial assessment. In 2023, after the application of an immediate response system with an initial assessment in hospitals, the transport time decreased to 18.18 ± 0.64 minutes compared with 19.66 ± 0.41 minutes before the system was strengthened (p < 0.05). This study concluded that a systematic approach by ELTs was important for emergency care and an immediate response through an initial assessment might contribute to improving patient survival rates. However, achieving a true initial assessment remains challenging; this issue should be pursued in future studies.