• Brennen Mills, Michella Hill, Alecka Miles, Erin Smith, Eben Afrifa-Yamoah, David Reid, Shane Rogers, and Moira Sim.
• School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
• Emerg Med Australas. 2023 Feb 1; 35 (1): 133141133-141.

ObjectiveTo investigate the Australian general public's perception of appropriate medical scenarios that warrants a call to an emergency ambulance.MethodsAn online survey asked participants to identify the likely medical treatment pathway they would take for 17 hypothetical medical scenarios. The number and type of non-emergency scenarios (n = 8) participants incorrectly suggested were appropriate to place a call for an emergency ambulance were calculated. Participants included Australian residents (aged >18 years) who had never worked as an Australian registered medical doctor, nurse or paramedic.ResultsFrom a sample of 5264 participants, 40% suggested calling an emergency ambulance for a woman in routine labour was appropriate. Other medical scenarios which were most suggested by participants to warrant an emergency ambulance call was 'Lego in ear canal' (11%), 'Older person bruising' (8%) and 'Flu' (7%). Women, people aged 56+ years, those without a university qualification, with lower household income and with lower emotional wellbeing were more likely to suggest calling an emergency ambulance was appropriate for non-emergency scenarios.ConclusionsAlthough emergency healthcare system (EHS) capacity not increasing at the same rate as demand is the biggest contributor to EHS burden, non-urgent medical situations for which other low-acuity healthcare pathways may be appropriate does play a small role in adding to the overburdening of the EHS. This present study outlines a series of complaints and demographic characteristics that would benefit from targeted educational interventions that may aid in alleviating ambulance service attendances to low-acuity callouts.© 2022 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

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