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In emergency situations, a timely call to an ambulance service dispatch could mean the difference between life and death. Some people refrain from calling an ambulance even for emergencies because they believe that they can get to the hospital faster if they drove themselves.
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What they don’t realize is that ambulances and other emergency medical transport services are equipped with life-saving equipment and staffed with highly-trained emergency medical technicians who provide medical assistance on the way to the hospital. In addition, emergency medical transport services are trained to take the fastest routes to the hospital, navigate through traffic quickly, and communicate the details of the patient's condition to the hospital before arrival.
When deciding whether or not one should call an ambulance, one should consider the following:
• Is the condition life threatening? Conditions that require ambulance services are stroke, heart attack, drug overdose, and head injuries. Conditions for which one should not call an ambulance are labor/childbirth, back pain, and drunkenness (if conscious.)
• Are there possible causes for delay on the way to the hospital, such as inclement weather, traffic, or distance?
• Could the condition worsen and become critical en route to the hospital?
• Could moving the patient cause further injury?
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If unsure, it's still best to err on the side of caution and call an ambulance, so that the call taker could determine if an ambulance should indeed be dispatched.
Balboa Ambulance Service provides a full range of medical transport services including wheelchair, long distance, air ambulance, and critical care transport to clients in San Diego County. For discussions on emergency medical transport services, like this Facebook page.
