The Effectiveness of a Navigation System for Ambulance Service in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The response and transport intervals of an ambulance dispatch are affected by various factors. The present ambulance system relies on the driver’s experience, knowledge of local road map and estimations of directions. These may contribute to delays, misdirection and inefficient utilization of resources. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of GPS navigation device on the response and transport time intervals of an ambulance service operating in urban setting. This was a three-month experimental study involving simulated ambulance dispatch based in a hospital. A total of 50 simulated cycles were constructed. Travel time, arrival time and distance were documented from each cycle. The median actual response time using map and GPS navigation device was 11.82 min and 10.47 min respectively. The median actual transport time using map and GPS navigation device was 11.00 min and 10.74 min respectively. The differences in response time and transport time between map and GPS navigation were not statistically significant (p= 0.215 and p=0.710). The application of GPS reduced the error value between estimated and actual response time by 8.73%. It also reduced the mean error value between estimated and actual transport time by 1.42%. The result shows that the GPS navigation device allowed for more accurate travel time estimation and its application in an urban setting such as Kuala Lumpur has the potential to reduce ambulance response time.

The Effectiveness Of A Navigation System For Ambulance Service In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

@#The response and transport intervals of an ambulance dispatch are affected by various factors. The present ambulance system relies on the driver’s experience, knowledge of local road map and estimations of directions. These may contribute to delays, misdirection and inefficient utilization of resources. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of GPS navigation device on the response and transport time intervals of an ambulance service operating in urban setting. This was a three-month experimental study involving simulated ambulance dispatch based in a hospital. A total of 50 simulated cycles were constructed. Travel time, arrival time and distance were documented from each cycle. The median actual response time using map and GPS navigation device was 11.82 min and 10.47 min respectively. The median actual transport time using map and GPS navigation device was 11.00 min and 10.74 min respectively. The differences in response time and transport time between map and GPS navigation were not statistically significant (p= 0.215 and p=0.710). The application of GPS reduced the error value between estimated and actual response time by 8.73%. It also reduced the mean error value between estimated and actual transport time by 1.42%. The result shows that the GPS navigation device allowed for more accurate travel time estimation and its application in an urban setting such as Kuala Lumpur has the potential to reduce ambulance response time.

Management of asthma in adults in primary care

@#Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway which is often misdiagnosed and undertreated. Early diagnosis and vigilant asthma control are crucial to preventing permanent airway damage, improving quality of life and reducing healthcare burdens. The key approaches to asthma management should include patient empowerment through health education and selfmanagement and, an effective patient-healthcare provider partnership.

A Study of House Officers in a Teaching Hospital on Knowledge, Perception of Skills and Confidence Level in Performing CPR

Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is important and should be mastered by House Officers (HO). House officers who have just completed their studies are assigned to acute medical and surgical wards. If a patient in the ward has a cardiac arrest (CA), these doctors are usually the first to attend. Therefore an HO must be confident with CPR skills. They must be competent in performing CPR. The authors assessed 26 new HOs from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) with respect to their self-perception about CPR skills, confidence level in performing CPR and knowledge in performing CPR. Knowledge was assessed by a questionnaire. We found that 16 of 26 (61.5%) assessed themselves to have inadequate knowledge and 46.2% had no confidence in performing CPR. The mean score of the written test was 5.7 ± 1.8. Seven out of 26 (27.0%) HOs had incorrect hand placement position for CPR. Only 4 and 9 out of 26 HOs had their sternal paddle and cardiac apex paddle positions correctly placed respectively. In conclusion, knowledge, perception of skills and confidence levels of HOs on CPR are inadequate and need further assessment and improvement. Medical schools need to review their CPR curriculum in order to prepare HOs adequately to work in emergency situations.