Ambulance service operational improvement

Abstract

Since the start of industrialisation in the beginning of the previous century, processes, and technology have evolved drastically. Technology that had been developed for a specific application was found to open new horizons in other domains. A good example is the use of sonar technology on military submarines which eventually found medical applications in medical imaging (Oakley, 1986). The paramedic profession is still considered to be a relatively young profession, and although the clinical scope of practice of ambulance staff has widened there have been few noticeable and significant changes in the way Ambulance Services operate as public service providers. There is, however, great variation in the way pre-hospital emergency care provision is delivered and organised from country to country due for example to historical, cultural, financial, and geographical factors. Other industries are significantly more driven by profit, hence efficiency and reliability are aspects that have a direct and measurable financial impact and it acts as a driver for further developments.