NDLI: Is non-conveyance solo-ambulances a useful mean to meet the increasing demand for emergency medical services in Denmark?

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Møller, Frederikke Amalie Persson, Mads Lillethorup Engholm, Elisabeth Larsen Jensen, Penille Horsbøl Kirkegaard Vaeggemose, Ulla Gehrt, Tine Bennedsen
Abstract	Background The growing demand for acute medical assistance creates an increasing pressure on emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency departments. This calls for initiatives to prevent avoidable admissions. A novel non-conveyance solo-ambulance was introduced in the Central Denmark Region; the Prehospital Visitation Unit (PVU). We investigated patient characteristics and prehospital management by the PVU, while exploring employee perspectives on the implementation process and how they perceived their expanded role and responsibilities working with the PVU. Methods This mixed-methods study had a convergent parallel design. Patient data was collected on all patients assessed by the PVU between April 1st 2022 and April 1st 2023. Furthermore, 19 semi-structured interviews with paramedics, EMS dispatchers and technical dispatchers partaking in the operation of the PVU were conducted. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis with an inductive approach, drawing on principles from grounded theory. Results Throughout the study period, the PVU served 1510 patients (median age: 60, IQR: 33–77). Among these, 83.6% were assigned an urgency level B, indicating acute, but not life-threatening, situations. Patients presented with a broad range of complaints, including a high number of patients with non-specific complaints. Paramedics completed treatment on-scene for 29.1% of all patients, spending a median time of 49 min (IQR: 33–64) on-scene. In the interviews, four themes were identified: (1) The implementation strategy had gaps, but was supported by ongoing adjustments, (2) Facilitating a patient-centered approach for the benefit of the patient and the system, (3) Community partnership and internal collaboration enabled paramedics as healthcare facilitators, and (4) Flexible workflows were needed to maintain professional agency. Conclusions The PVU seems to offer a valuable alternative within the EMS, particularly for patients with non-specific complaints and conditions manageable at a lower level of care. Strong collaboration allowed paramedics to take on a facilitating role, creating appropriate pathways and providing patient-centered care. However, for successful implementation, ongoing adjustments were required, particularly in maintaining the professional autonomy of the healthcare professionals. As prehospital EMS increasingly respond to non-acute medical needs, initiatives like the PVU can play an important role in meeting growing demands.
Related Links	https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12913-025-12448-8.pdf
Ending Page	10
Page Count	10
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	14726963
DOI	10.1186/s12913-025-12448-8
Journal	BMC Health Services Research
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	25
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2025-02-25
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Public Health Health Administration Health Informatics Nursing Research Emergency medical services [MeSH] Non-conveyance Community paramedicine Paramedics Single responder Employee perspectives
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health Policy

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

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