Introduction: Motorcycles can be considered a new form of smart vehicle when taking into account their small and modern structure and due to the fact that nowadays, they are used in the new role of ambulance to rapidly reach emergency patients in large cities with traffic congestion. However, there is no study regarding the measuring of access time for motorcycle ambulances (motorlances) in large cities of Thailand. Study Objective: This study aims to compare access times to patients between motorlances and conventional ambulances, including analysis of the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) installed on motorlances to contribute to the sustainable development of public health policies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on all motorlance operations in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand from January 2019 through December 2020. Data were recorded using a national standard operation record form for Thailand. Results: Two hundred seventy-one motorlance operations were examined over a two-year period. A total of 52.4% (N = 142) of the patients were male. The average times from dispatch to vehicle (motorlance and traditional ambulance) being en route (activation time) for motorlance and ambulance in afternoon shift were 0.59 minutes and 1.45 minutes, respectively (P = .004). The average motorlance response time in the afternoon shift was 6.12 minutes, and ambulance response time was 9.10 minutes at the same shift. Almost all of the motorlance operations (97.8%) were found to have no access to AED equipment installed in public areas. The average time from dispatch to AED arrival on scene (AED access time) was 5.02 minutes. Conclusion: The response time of motorlances was shorter than a conventional ambulance, and the use of AEDs on a motorlance can increase the chances of survival for patients with cardiac arrest outside the hospital in public places where AEDs are not available.

No abstract

Background Access time to emergency patients is a critical factor that affects the outcomes of life-or-death situations, especially in the cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). This study focused on developing a new model of emergency medical services (EMS) using a motorcycle-based ambulance (motorlance) with an automated external defibrillator (AED). There are currently no studies regarding access time for this vehicle. This study aimed at utilization of an AED in conjunction with motorlance and comparing the response time between a traditional ambulance and a motorlance. Methods This was a prospective study conducted in the EMS department of Srinagarind Hospital, located in Khon Kaen, Thailand, over a five-month period, from September 2021 to January 2022. Data were recorded employing a national standard of operations record form used for Thailand EMS departments nationwide. Results The 891 cases were divided into two groups which were motorlance and ambulance. The activation times for motorlance and ambulance were 0.44 minutes and 1.42 minutes, respectively (p < 0.001) and the response time in the motorlance group was 7.20 minutes compared with 9.25 minutes in the ambulance group. In OHCA, the motorlance with AED arrived at patients location and assisted to continue resuscitation at the hospital 88.9% of the time. Conclusion AED used in conjunction with motorcycle ambulances had shorter periods of both activation time and response time compared to ambulances. The use of AEDs clearly increases the number of continuous resuscitations in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

Introduction: Mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) are events in which many people are injured during the same period of time. This has major implications in regards to practical concerns and planning for both personnel and medical equipment. Smart glasses are modern tools that could help Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the estimation of the number of potential patients in an MCI. However, currently there is no study regarding the advantage of employing the use of smart glasses in MCIs in Thailand. Study Objective: This study aims to compare the overall accuracy and amount of time used with smart glasses and comparing it to manual counting to assess the number of casualties from the scene. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial, field exercise experimental study in the EMS unit of Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand. The participants were divided into two groups (those with smart glasses and those doing manual counting). On the days of the simulation (February 25 and 26, 2022), the participants in the smart glasses group received a 30-minute training session on the use of the smart glasses. After that, both groups of participants counted the number of casualties on the simulation field independently. Results: Sixty-eight participants were examined, and in the smart glasses group, a total of 58.8% (N = 20) of the participants were male. The mean age in this group was 39.4 years old. The most experienced in the EMS smart glasses group had worked in this position for four-to-six years (44.1%). The participants in the smart glasses group had the highest scores in accurately assessing the number of casualties being between 21-30 (98.0%) compared with the manual counting group (89.2%). Additionally, the time used for assessing the number of casualties in the smart glasses group was shorter than the manual counting group in tallying the number of casualties between 11-20 (6.3 versus 11.2 seconds; P = .04) and between 21-30 (22.1 versus 44.5 seconds; P = .02). Conclusion: The use of smart glasses to assess the number of casualties in MCIs when the number of patients is between 11 and 30 is useful in terms of greater accuracy and less time being spent than with manual counting.

Introduction: Prehospital ultrasounds can be considered a new form of diagnostic tool when taking into account their small structure and due to the fact that nowadays, they are used in the care of emergency patients. However, at present, there is no study regarding the advantage of ultrasound usage in prehospital settings in Thailand. Study Objective: This study aims to determine the sonographic characteristics recorded by handheld ultrasounds used in prehospital care and the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasounds for prehospital patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on prehospital patients who underwent point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) examination on Emergency Medical Service (EMS) operations at Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand from January 2021 through December 2021. The ultrasound images, the electronic emergency department medical records, and the EMS database were recorded and reviewed by a team of emergency physicians. The quality of prehospital ultrasound examinations was assessed by comparing the diagnoses at the scene with those taken at the hospital. Results: One hundred sixty-nine prehospital patients who received POCUS examinations were examined over a one-year period. All (100.0%) of the scans were for medical cases. No ultrasound protocol was used in the prehospital care. Two hundred eight POCUS examinations were performed in this study. The most common POCUS indication was dyspnea (45.6%), followed by hypotension/shock (30.1%), and finally syncope (8.2%). The most common area where POCUS was performed was on the lung (37.0%), followed by the inferior vena cava (30.8%), and finally for cardiac cases (26.4%). This study found that 34.9% of sonographic findings could be considered abnormal. The diagnoses of prehospital patients were confirmed by using POCUS in 66 cases (39.1%) with the accuracy of prehospital diagnosis reaching a peak of 75.8%. Conclusion: This study shows POCUS examinations can be effectively used in prehospital care. The prehospital diagnosis given by physicians administering treatment who used POCUS examinations correlated with the in-hospital diagnosis.