Journal of Trauma and Injury

The Korean Society of Traumatology (대한외상학회)
권호 표지

Field Triage of Severely Injured Patients and Transportation by the EMS Rescue Group of Busan and Kyungnam, Korea: Is It Appropriate?

부산·경남 지역에서 전원 의뢰된 중증외상 분석을 통한 119 구급대의 환자 분류와 이송병원 선정에 대한 고찰

  • Lim, Jong Eon (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University) ;
  • Yeom, Seok Ran (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University) ;
  • Cho, Suck Ju (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University) ;
  • Han, Sang Kyun (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University) ;
  • Park, Sung Wook (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University) ;
  • Lee, Sung Hwa (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University)
  • 임종언 (부산대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실) ;
  • 염석란 (부산대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실) ;
  • 조석주 (부산대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실) ;
  • 한상균 (부산대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실) ;
  • 박성욱 (부산대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실) ;
  • 이성화 (부산대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실)
  • Received : 2012.09.07
  • Accepted : 2012.11.01
  • Published : 2012.12.31
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Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the appropriateness of Emergency Medical Service's (EMS's) triage and transport of severely injured patients in Busan and Kyungnam, Korea. Methods: The medical records of the Emergency Medical Information Center were retrospectively reviewed from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. We identified the number of patients that should have been transferred from a secondary to a tertiary hospital according to the EMS field triage protocol. Results: In a total of 472 cases requests to be transferred to a third hospital were made through the Emergency Medical Information Center. Of these, 207 patients(43.9%) should have been transferred to a tertiary hospital according to the EMS field triage protocol. Among them, thirty-three(15.9%) patients satisfied step 1, 15(7.0%) satisfied step 2, and 117(56.5%) satisfied step 3. Twenty-three(11.1%) patients satisfied both steps 1 and 3. Conclusion: We found the triage by the EMS in the transfer of severely injured patients to a tertiary hospital to be inappropriate and re-education of EMS personnel regarding the EMS field triage protocol is needed. Because many patients are transferred from a secondary to a third hospital, we suggest changing the EMS field triage protocol to expand the severe injury criteria. A need exists to authorize secondary hospitals to transfer severely injured patients directly because there are no trauma centers in Korea.

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