ArticleScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2012
Factors impacting on the activation and approach times of helicopter emergency medical services in four Alpine countries.
Article in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Prehospital response model and time to CT scan in blunt trauma patients; an exploratory analysis of data from the head injury retrieval trial.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2015Trial
- "We are not allowed to give any pain relief" - Swedish mountain-rescue operations from the perspective of mountain-rescue personnel: an interview study.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Epidemiology and severity of mountain rescue missions in Poland: a retrospective study of 9,477 patients rescued by the Tatra Mountain Rescue Service.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Factors Associated with Prolonged Prehospital On-Site Time in Adult Trauma Patients: A Nationwide Observational Study in Japan.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Feasibility and safety of automated chest compression during helicopter rescue with hoisting.Resuscitation plus · 2026Article
- Article
- Introducing an on-site Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) physician at the Emergency Medical Communication Centre - implications for dispatch precision at a Norwegian HEMS base.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Helicopter emergency medical services in Eastern Iran: a 4-year cross-sectional study of time intervals and mission profiles.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Evaluation of the offset static rope evacuation procedure: insights from a safe job analysis.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Emergency Air Transport of Patients with Acute Chest Pain in the Adriatic Islands of Croatia: A Four-Year Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Observational
- Factors Associated with an Increase in On-Site Time of Pediatric Trauma Patients in a Prehospital Setting: A Nationwide Observational Study in Japan.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The introduction of a regional Norwegian HEMS coordinator: an assessment of the effects on response times, geographical service areas and severity scores.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Quality Indicators for Avalanche Victim Management and Rescue.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Challenges of helicopter mountain rescue missions by human external cargo: need for physicians onsite and comprehensive training.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe outcome of severely injured or ill patients can be time dependent. Short activation and approach times for emergency medical service (EMS) units are widely recognized to be important quality indicators. The use of a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) can significantly shorten rescue missions especially in mountainous areas. We aimed to analyze the HEMS characteristics that influence the activation and approach times.
methodsIn a multi-centre retrospective study, we analyzed 6121 rescue missions from nine HEMS bases situated in mountainous regions of four European countries.
resultsWe found large differences in mean activation and approach times among HEMS bases. The shortest mean activation time was 2.9 minutes; the longest 17.0 minutes. The shortest mean approach time was 10.4 minutes; the longest 45.0 minutes. Short times are linked (p < 0.001) to the following conditions: helicopter operator is not state owned; HEMS is integrated in EMS; all crew members are at the same location; doctors come from state or private health institutions; organization performing HEMS is privately owned; helicopters are only for HEMS; operation area is around 10.000 km2; HEMS activation is by a dispatching centre of regional government who is in charge of making decisions; there is only one intermediator in the emergency call; helicopter is equipped with hoist or fixed line; HEMS has more than one base with helicopters, and one team per base; closest neighboring base is 90 km away; HEMS is about 20 years old and has more than 650 missions per year; and modern helicopters are used.
conclusionsAn improvement in HEMS activation and approach times is possible. We found 17 factors associated with shorter times.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.