What does EMS turnaround time measure?

What does EMS turnaround time measure?

• A. The time from hospital handoff to unit being ready for the next call (or from hospital arrival to unit ready for another patient).
• B. Time from dispatch to arrival on scene.
• C. Time from patient contact to hospital discharge.
• D. Time from unit return to service to next dispatch

Answer: (A)

Turnaround time in EMS is the period when the unit is out of service after finishing with a patient until it’s ready to take another call. It’s best captured by the interval from the moment the unit hands off the patient at the hospital to the moment the unit is ready for the next assignment. This includes unloading, transfer of care, cleaning and decontamination, restocking supplies, fueling, inspections, and getting the unit back into service-ready condition. This differs from response time (dispatch to scene), which is a different measure, and from the total duration of patient care (from first patient contact to hospital discharge). It also isn’t just the time from when the unit returns to service to the next dispatch, because it doesn’t account for hospital-handling and unit readiness factors.

Turnaround time in EMS is the period when the unit is out of service after finishing with a patient until it’s ready to take another call. It’s best captured by the interval from the moment the unit hands off the patient at the hospital to the moment the unit is ready for the next assignment. This includes unloading, transfer of care, cleaning and decontamination, restocking supplies, fueling, inspections, and getting the unit back into service-ready condition.

This differs from response time (dispatch to scene), which is a different measure, and from the total duration of patient care (from first patient contact to hospital discharge). It also isn’t just the time from when the unit returns to service to the next dispatch, because it doesn’t account for hospital-handling and unit readiness factors.