Kurstein P; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting (19th : 2003 : Canmore, Alta.).
Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 2003; 19: abstract no. 302.
Danish Institute for Health Service Research, Dampfaergevej 27-29, Copenhagen -, 2100 Denmark Tel: +4535298456, Fax: +4535298499, E-mail: pk@dsi.dk
BACKGROUND: In 1998 the prehospital care in Frederiksborg County was extended with six special emergency vehicles manned with specially trained paramedics. A Health Technology Assessment was undertaken, focusing on qualifications, organisation, survival, cost-effectiveness and citizens. This presentation reports from the organisation analysis. Following recommendations from a prior evaluation of physician-manned emergency vehicles, the analysis was extended to include practice- and culture studies in the organisations involved in the predisposition of emergency vehicles. In the presentation, the utility of this methodological extension is discussed. DATA AND ANALYSIS: Data in the extended analysis was written materials, participant observation, and focus group interviews in the police's guard offices, Falck's control centre, and Falck's ambulance and emergency vehicle stations. The analytical framework was organisation theory on culture and practice. RESULTS: The police turns away many emergency requests. Still many requests are considered irrelevant. Depending of the police's judgements, different procedures are initiated. Not every police officer knows about lethal diseases. Falck often send out both ambulance and emergency vehicle. Most turn out's don't require a specially trained paramedic. Conclusions: the extended organisation analysis provided information of the determinants of overuse as well as "underuse" of the health technology: knowledge, which would not have been obtained with a traditional methodological design. And as the information can be used to improve organisational procedures and qualifications, an extended organisation analysis should be considered a tool in the health technology assessment methodology.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Allied Health Personnel
- Ambulances
- Biomedical Technology
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Emergency Medical Technicians
- Evaluation Studies
- Focus Groups
- Humans
- Male
- Organizations
- Physicians
- Technology
- Technology Assessment, Biomedical
- Technology Transfer
- economics
- methods
- organization & administration
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102276220
From Meeting Abstracts