ASOURCE Navi

The number of ambulance dispatches is steadily increasing year by year. While there is a demand for rapid response to highly urgent symptoms, there is also an increasing trend for patients with minor injuries to make careless emergency calls, making the appropriate use of limited emergency medical resources an urgent issue. In this third installment, we will explain the appropriate way to use an ambulance and the criteria for making that decision.

When calling 119, it is important to remain calm. When calling, be sure to clearly communicate that it is an emergency, the location of the incident, the condition of the injured person, and your name and contact information. It is also effective to have someone guide the ambulance to help them find the location until the ambulance arrives, or to turn on the outdoor lights at night. Also, if first aid is needed before the ambulance arrives, it is important to follow the instructions of the 119 operator.

It can sometimes be difficult to decide whether or not to call an ambulance.

- Unconscious or drowsy
Difficulty breathing
Sudden or severe chest pain
There is heavy bleeding
- Have severe burns or injuries
- Symptoms that may be due to a stroke (such as sudden paralysis or speech impediments)

In such cases, you should not hesitate to call an ambulance.

If you are unsure whether to call an ambulance, such as "Something seems a bit strange, but I wonder if it's okay to call an ambulance for these symptoms," it is effective to consult the Emergency Security Center (♯7119). This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and doctors, nurses, trained counselors, and others will answer your questions over the phone. Not only can they determine the need for an ambulance, but they can also provide you with information on the appropriate medical institution.
It is also recommended to use the nationwide emergency medical consultation app (Qsuke). There is a web version and an app version, and when you select the relevant symptoms on the screen, the necessary measures according to the urgency are displayed. In addition, you can search for medical institutions, including neighboring prefectures, and link to the "National Taxi Guide" to search for medical treatment methods.

The number of ambulance dispatches nationwide exceeds 7.6 million per year, and the number of people transported to hospitals is approximately 6.64 million, and this number has been steadily increasing except for 2020 and 2021, when people refrained from going out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of ambulance dispatches has increased by more than 1.5 times in the past 20 years. In addition, the average time it takes for an ambulance to arrive at the scene after receiving a call was 8 minutes and 3 seconds in 2012, but in 2022 it will exceed the 10-minute barrier for the first time, reaching 10 minutes and 3 seconds. It is said that the survival rate decreases if the time exceeds 10 minutes after cardiac arrest, and such delays in ambulances pose a serious risk to the lives of citizens.
One of the reasons for the increase in the number of emergency dispatches is the aging of the population. As people get older, they inevitably use ambulances more often. However, it has been found that about half of the people transported to hospitals have only minor injuries, which has been pointed out as a possibility that this could hinder the emergency response that is actually required.
Furthermore, 20% of emergency calls to 119 are low-urgency calls such as "Please tell me which hospital is open now" or "I want to consult about my symptoms." In response to this situation, Matsusaka City and other cities have introduced a fee for inappropriate ambulance use for minor injuries since June this year. Ibaraki Prefecture will also start a similar system from December this year. This is attracting attention as one initiative to make efficient use of limited medical resources.

The increase in the number of emergency dispatches is having a serious impact on the medical field, resulting in problems such as overwork for emergency personnel, strained capacity at emergency medical facilities, and delayed response to patients with truly urgent medical needs.

Various measures are being considered to improve this situation. It is important to strengthen public awareness activities, educate citizens on the proper use of ambulances, and disseminate knowledge of first aid. There is also an urgent need to improve the medical system, such as securing and training emergency medical personnel and strengthening the acceptance system of emergency medical institutions. Furthermore, efforts are being made to improve new services, such as the use of private emergency services and the spread of online medical consultations.
Ambulances are an important social infrastructure that protects our lives. Each of us is expected to think about and act on their appropriate use. We need to work together as a society to make effective use of medical resources and protect the lives of those who truly need an ambulance.