THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INAPPROPRIATE USE OF 112 EMERGENCY AMBULANCES IN TURKEY: AN EVALUATION BASED ON THE PERSPECTIVES OF PARAMEDICS AND EMTS

Öz

Aim: This study aims to determine how many of the cases handled by paramedics and EMTs working in 112 emergency ambulance services across Turkey are deemed inappropriate. Materials and Methods: Designed as a cross-sectional and descriptive study, the sample was selected from 5005 members of the Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics Association (ATTDER) using finite population sampling, with 521 participants completing the survey. Data were collected through an online survey of 10 questions and analyzed using SPSS 25 software. Findings: The results show that 68.77% of the cases were considered inappropriate for emergency ambulance use, indicating significant waste of limited healthcare resources and a negative impact on system efficiency. Results: The study highlights that expanding and effectively using triage systems is essential to reducing inappropriate ambulance use. The fact that most healthcare workers reported inappropriate use reflects the seriousness of the issue, emphasizing the need for structural improvements in the 112 emergency system.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ambulance
• Health Economic
• Turkey

TÜRKİYE’DE 112 ACİL YARDIM AMBULANSLARININ UYGUNSUZ KULLANIMININ EKONOMİK ETKİLERİ: PARAMEDİK VE ATT GÖRÜŞLERİNE DAYALI BİR DEĞERLENDİRME

Öz

Amaç: Bu araştırma, Türkiye’de 112 acil yardım ambulanslarında görev yapan paramedik ve ATT’lerin, müdahale ettikleri vakaların ne kadarını uygunsuz bulduklarını belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Kesitsel ve tanımlayıcı tasarıma sahip olan çalışmada, Acil Tıp Teknisyenleri ve Teknikerleri Derneği’ne (ATTDER) üye 5005 kişiden sonlu evren seçimi yöntemiyle örneklem belirlenmiş ve 521 katılımcıyla tamamlanmıştır. Veriler, 10 soruluk bir anket aracılığıyla çevrim içi olarak toplanmış ve SPSS 25 programıyla analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular: Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, katılımcılar ambulans vakalarının %68,77’sini uygunsuz olarak değerlendirmiştir. Bu durum, sınırlı sağlık kaynaklarının israf edildiğini ve sağlık sisteminin verimliliğinin olumsuz etkilendiğini göstermektedir. Sonuç: Araştırma, triyaj sistemlerinin yaygınlaştırılması ve etkin kullanılmasının, gereksiz ambulans kullanımını önlemek için kritik olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Sağlık çalışanlarının büyük çoğunluğunun uygunsuz kullanım bildirmesi, sorunun ciddi boyutta olduğunu göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ambulans
• Uygunsuz Kullanım
• İsraf

Kaynakça

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