The Patients' Experiences in the Ambulance Services and the Factors which Influenced their Willingness to Return

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the experiences of patients who used ambulance services and analyze the factors which influenced their willingness to use them again. METHODS: The survey was carried out at 17 emergency medical centers for 2 days, and 225 patients and protectors answered the questions. The questionnaire was developed through literature review and consultation with professions. Survey questions addressed the following dispatchers' degree of careful listening, dispatchers' ability to easily understand location information, advice from dispatchers, waiting time for EMTs (emergency medical technicians), EMTs' degree of careful listening, EMTs' explanations, EMTs' communication of information to hospital staffs and patient comfort in transit. RESULTS: The level of patient experiences was relatively poorer than in England. The major factors which influenced patients' willingness to return were advice from dispatchers, EMTs' communication of information to hospital staffs and patient comfort in transit. Demographic and socio-economic factors had no bearing on willingness to return. CONCLUSION: The evaluation of patients' experiences is a useful method for gauging the quality of ambulance services and is not influenced by patients' demographic and socio-economic factors. Moreover, specifically focused questions about patients' experiences can greatly contribute to improving the quality of ambulance services.