Tidsskrift for den Norske lægeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny række
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Tidsskr. Nor. Laegeforen. · Mar 1995
[Medical emergency service. Descriptions of a one-year activity at an emergency communication center].
The emergency medical communication centre, Vestfold Central Hospital, receives emergency medical calls (phone 113), from 200,000 citizens in Vestfold county. Calls are categorised by urgency (red, yellow or green) according to the Norwegian Index to Emergency Medical Assistance, a criteria-based dispatch manual. In 1993, 2,440 red (suspected life-threatening conditions), 3,502 yellow and 6,505 green calls were received. ⋯ Efforts were made 628 times to give basic life support instruction by telephone. An ambulance was the most frequent response, general medical practitioners were called upon relatively seldom. The response was estimated to adequate in 79% of the incidents, exaggerated in 9% and inadequate in 3%.
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Patients attending a casualty department often have diseases or injuries needing urgent medical attention. Early and correct diagnosis and treatment may be of major importance for the medical outcome. ⋯ Quality assurance at a casualty department through good training, introduction of written rules, a good flow of information to the staff and local licensing of doctors are factors which can assure that the quality of the medical service remains the best. This paper presents the work done at The Tromsø Municipal Casualty Department to assure the quality of the medical service to the population.