ArticlePloS one2023
Utopia for Norwegian helicopter emergency medical services: Estimating the number of bases needed to radically bring down response times, and lives needed to be saved for cost effectiveness.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessment of clinical and logistical contribution in a Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service using integrated data: a retrospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Observational
- Modeling IN out-of-hospital emergency medical services-a scoping review of approaches and applications.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Selection of helicopter bases and transport modes to minimize pre-hospital times in Iceland.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Patient and mission characteristics of helicopter emergency medical services in the Republic of Ireland: a retrospective analysis.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- The impact of concurrency conflicts on optimal location of air ambulance bases in Norway.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Observational
- Locating helicopter ambulance bases in Iceland: efficient and fair solutions.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Geospatial optimization of Air-Mobile Stroke Unit deployment in Norway: expanding the frontiers of neurocritical care.Frontiers in neurologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHelicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) throughout Europe are generally on scene within 10-15 minutes. In Norway, however, with its 13 HEMS bases, only 75% of the population can currently be reached within half an hour. We estimate the number of HEMS bases needed to reach the full Norwegian population within 10-15 minutes, and discuss implications regarding cost effectiveness.
methodsUsing geographic location and population characteristics from Norway's 428 municipalities as input to the Maximal Covering Location Problem-a mathematical location optimization model-we estimate the number of HEMS bases required along with accompanying personnel and healthcare costs. We estimate the minimum number of lives that would have to be saved to achieve a net social benefit of zero.
resultsTo reach 99% or 100% of the Norwegian population by HEMS within 15 minutes 78 or 104 bases are needed, respectively. The incremental need for personnel going from 20 to 15 minutes for 99/100% of the population is 602/728, with an accompanying incremental cost of 228/276 million EURO per year. A yearly total of 280/339 additional lives would have to be saved to obtain a net social benefit of zero. Then, the HEMS-system as a whole would be cost effective although the least efficient bases still would not be.
conclusionsReducing Norwegian HEMS response times to 10-15 minutes requires a drastic increase in the number of HEMS bases needed. Choice of ethical philosophy (utilitarianism or egalitarianism) determines when the expansion might be considered cost effective.
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