What is the percentage of hospital ambulance admissions that are discharged the next day?

You could try this as a starting point for your research.

“Probabilistic Linkage of Computerized Ambulance and Inpatient Hospital Discharge Records: A Potential Tool for Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services

Annals of Emergency Medicine – Volume 37, Issue 6 (June 2001) – Copyright © 2001 American College of Emergency Physicians – About This Journal ”

The reason I ask this is I saw a piece on the news the other day which talked of the percentage of medical helicopter patients that are discharged the next day, with that figure being a reflection of the actual URGENCY of the condition and whether or not the helicopter was actually needed. It’s not a pure statistic (no one knows the outcome of a trauma patient in advance), but interesting nonetheless. SO, I’d like to know what the percentage is for ambulance patients.

Well, that’s kinda a difficult question. I’m a paramedic, and I work with a service called Northstar in Northern Arkansas. I like to keep a checkup on my patients that I transfer from their homes/work/accident site/middle of nowhere, and this usually entails asking the ER staff what their outcome was.

I’ve had patients I’ve delivered to the ER dead, women having a baby, Cardiac patients, trauma patients, various sick people, and the outcome of the patient varies…

I’d have to say, from my own experience, that around 3/4 of the patients I transport are admitted for more than 24 hours. My only logic/reason for this is: If you’re sick enough to call me, it’s pretty serious. Now, this is in no way an “complete” survey, but my own experience. I work in a town called Searcy, and I frequently go to little rock, or other metropolitan areas, so I’d say that’s a pretty clear estimate for the northern part of Arkansas.

As a whole, that answer varies from patient to patient. The doctors, nurses, techs, and other staff, in addition to the patients clinical status are all things to consider.

Hope this helps.

@cyrus, thanks. It does. Apparently with the medical helicopters, MANY get into accidents, killing the pilots and passengers. Something like 15% of the patients being brought in by helicopter are discharged the next day (suggesting that they didn’t need to be “helicoptered” in). SO, if they can get this statistic for helicopter ER admits, they should also have it for ambulance ER admits. I’d be interested in seeing how the 2 numbers compare.

Accidents are common. Quite. Last week a bird went down because they hit a flight of geese…ironic, I know. Luckily, the piolit was an ex-marine flyer, and he got the chopper down, with his co-piolit, the patient, and the medic intact. No one got hurt. The pateint died in transit to the ER on the ambulance, but from what I was told, he was screwed anyway.

I was actually a patient on a heli once upon a time. I fell 35 feet climbing a mountain, and the choppered me off the side of the damn thing. It took me 8 surgeries on my foot, but otherwise, I was ok. It took me the better part of a month to get outta the hospital, and 9 and a half months on crutches to walk again, but today I’m still climbing. And walking with a limp.

It would be quite interesting to see that percentage, as well as the cases they base the statistics off of. Good question. Lurve for you!

Thanks. Apparently, there’s little NTSB regulation for medical helicopters and that’s causing a furor right now (I guess people are sensitive since “The Miracle In the Hudson”). Night flying is causing the biggest problems. Apparently, there’s technical equipment available that could be mandated to reduce the number of accidents, but isn’t.

I’ll vouch for the lax regulations. Some birds here in AR are either de-commissioned military, or brand spanking new. They vary from town to town, service to service. And who has the most money.

It’s a “By any means nessecary” type thing. Lol. Most piolits are ex military, due to the strict requirements on the job. And they are DAMM good at what they do. Rain or shine, Angel One will fly (Thats Children’s Hospital’s copter). Hats off to those guys…I’m just the ground troop lol.