Aims
To estimate ambulance transit time of Major Trauma patients from scene to Emergency Department (ED) in order to inform future trauma network design.
Methods
Dublin Fire Brigade data was analysed and each Major Trauma incident was mapped. Actual distance and time to the receiving ED was measured and estimates of distances and times from each of these incidents to any ED in Dublin (any potential Major Trauma Centre) were formulated using Google Maps in Internet Explorer 11.
Results
Adult trauma (n=500) was evenly distributed throughout Dublin. The median transit time to each ED varied from 5 to 8 minutes with a longest time of 26 minutes.
The calculated median transit time from an incident to any ED was 18 minutes with a maximum estimated transit time of 40 minutes.
Conclusion
The data demonstrated that all patients could get to any Dublin ED with a median time of 18 minutes and within the internationally recommended transfer time of 45 minutes to a Major Trauma Centre.