Aligning ambulance dispatch priority to patient acuity: A methodology

Abstract

In Victoria, Australia, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) demand has increased almost 5% per annum over the past 5 years. This may adversely affect response times to time‐critical patients. Additionally, >55% of cases have received Code 1 (lights/sirens) responses. Primary telephone triage occurs using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS); however, MPDS is reported to be highly sensitive, with common over‐triage. The present study describes the methodology applied to better align the response allocated to MPDS determinant codes with patient acuity.