Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study
Abstract Background The number of emergency callouts in Germany has doubled in the last 20 years. The shortage of doctors and social developments have led to challenges in ensuring emergency medical services and to temporary closures of entire emergency medical service areas. Stationing the emergenc...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Emergency Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-025-01278-w |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849387995108474880 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria Raker Christian Weilbach Maximilian Scharonow |
| author_facet | Maria Raker Christian Weilbach Maximilian Scharonow |
| author_sort | Maria Raker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The number of emergency callouts in Germany has doubled in the last 20 years. The shortage of doctors and social developments have led to challenges in ensuring emergency medical services and to temporary closures of entire emergency medical service areas. Stationing the emergency doctor on duty in the home environment is one option for making emergency medical services more attractive and could help to alleviate the problem of staff scheduling. Objective The response times of emergency physicians stationed in their home environment were compared with those of emergency doctors stationed at hospitals or rescue stations. Methods The response intervals and arrival times at the patient’s location were statistically analyzed depending on the physician’s location and distance from the rescue station. A support vehicle was used to reduce response times. The emergency physician met the full-time emergency vehicle at predefined points depending on the direction of the call. Results The response interval from the emergency station was 2.2 ± 1.0 min, from the hospital 3.1 ± 1.2 min and from the home environment 3.8 ± 1.6 min (p < 0.0001/Kruskal-Wallis test). In terms of the time taken to reach the patient, there was a significant advantage (p < 0.0001/Kruskal-Wallis test) in the group of call-outs from the rescue station (8,6 ± 3,9 min min. 2 and max. 23 min) compared to call-outs from the hospital (10.0 ± 4.4 min; min. 2 and max. 31 min) and the home environment (10.2 ± 4.2; min. 2 max. 33 min), with the difference between the hospital and the home environment not being significant at p = 0.256 (Kruskal-Wallis test). The actual distance of the emergency physician from the rescue station provides the best results for modeling response interval and showed no significant difference compared to being stationed at the hospital in terms of time to arrival at the scene for distances less than 3 km (p < 0.0001/Kruskal-Wallis test). Conclusions Stationing the emergency doctor in a domestic environment with a support vehicle and establishing fixed meeting points with the full-time emergency vehicle shows no disadvantage compared to stationing the emergency doctor in the hospital. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-545e5b3e757548468ae279ad5be7cfa2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-227X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-545e5b3e757548468ae279ad5be7cfa22025-08-20T03:42:26ZengBMCBMC Emergency Medicine1471-227X2025-07-0125111210.1186/s12873-025-01278-wLocation-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational studyMaria Raker0Christian Weilbach1Maximilian Scharonow2Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg, Academic Teaching Hospital of the MHH HannoverDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg, Academic Teaching Hospital of the MHH HannoverDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Bezirkskrankenhaus St. Johann in Tirol, Academic Teaching Department of the Medical Universities of Innsbruck, Vienna and GrazAbstract Background The number of emergency callouts in Germany has doubled in the last 20 years. The shortage of doctors and social developments have led to challenges in ensuring emergency medical services and to temporary closures of entire emergency medical service areas. Stationing the emergency doctor on duty in the home environment is one option for making emergency medical services more attractive and could help to alleviate the problem of staff scheduling. Objective The response times of emergency physicians stationed in their home environment were compared with those of emergency doctors stationed at hospitals or rescue stations. Methods The response intervals and arrival times at the patient’s location were statistically analyzed depending on the physician’s location and distance from the rescue station. A support vehicle was used to reduce response times. The emergency physician met the full-time emergency vehicle at predefined points depending on the direction of the call. Results The response interval from the emergency station was 2.2 ± 1.0 min, from the hospital 3.1 ± 1.2 min and from the home environment 3.8 ± 1.6 min (p < 0.0001/Kruskal-Wallis test). In terms of the time taken to reach the patient, there was a significant advantage (p < 0.0001/Kruskal-Wallis test) in the group of call-outs from the rescue station (8,6 ± 3,9 min min. 2 and max. 23 min) compared to call-outs from the hospital (10.0 ± 4.4 min; min. 2 and max. 31 min) and the home environment (10.2 ± 4.2; min. 2 max. 33 min), with the difference between the hospital and the home environment not being significant at p = 0.256 (Kruskal-Wallis test). The actual distance of the emergency physician from the rescue station provides the best results for modeling response interval and showed no significant difference compared to being stationed at the hospital in terms of time to arrival at the scene for distances less than 3 km (p < 0.0001/Kruskal-Wallis test). Conclusions Stationing the emergency doctor in a domestic environment with a support vehicle and establishing fixed meeting points with the full-time emergency vehicle shows no disadvantage compared to stationing the emergency doctor in the hospital.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-025-01278-wEmergency medical servicePrehospital emergency careEmergency physiciansResponse timeHome environment |
| spellingShingle | Maria Raker Christian Weilbach Maximilian Scharonow Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study BMC Emergency Medicine Emergency medical service Prehospital emergency care Emergency physicians Response time Home environment |
| title | Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study |
| title_full | Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study |
| title_fullStr | Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study |
| title_short | Location-based response times of emergency physicians in rural Germany: an observational study |
| title_sort | location based response times of emergency physicians in rural germany an observational study |
| topic | Emergency medical service Prehospital emergency care Emergency physicians Response time Home environment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-025-01278-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariaraker locationbasedresponsetimesofemergencyphysiciansinruralgermanyanobservationalstudy AT christianweilbach locationbasedresponsetimesofemergencyphysiciansinruralgermanyanobservationalstudy AT maximilianscharonow locationbasedresponsetimesofemergencyphysiciansinruralgermanyanobservationalstudy |