The Impact of a Dedicated Pediatric Ambulance on Interfacility Transport Dispatch Times: Findings from the Canadian Pediatric Transport Network Database
Abstract
Introduction: This retrospective cohort study evaluates the impact of a dedicated ambulance on dispatch times of pediatric transports to the London Health Sciences Centre using the Canadian Pediatric Transport Network (CPTN) database.
Methods: After assessing the data quality of the CPTN database, we used multiple linear regressions to examine differences in dispatch times before and after June 2019, when a dedicated ambulance was introduced.
Results: We found that additional measures are needed to improve data quality in the CPTN database. A dedicated ambulance improved ambulance return times but not dispatch times.
Conclusion: Ongoing quality assessment is necessary to improve the CTPN. Additional research is needed to investigate the cause of dispatch time delays.