Mobile Ambulatory Application Asafny and Traditional Phone Request 997: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to determine whether there was a time difference between the ambulatory application Asafny and traditional type 997 in reaching people in need and interacting appropriately.

Materials and Methods

This study was conducted using retrospective cross-sectional study. A total of 2120 ambulance requests was extracted from Saudi Red Crescent Authority servers in Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The requests were extracted between 2017 and 2019.

Results

There were no significant differences between the two methods of request. In 2019, the shortest times for all phases of requests were recorded. “Ordinary patient” was the most common cause for requests.

Conclusion

Over the years, efforts by the Saudi Red Crescent Authority facilitated improvements in ambulatory services by adapting new technology and services. This has helped reduce times for all phases of emergency requests.

Keywords:

• 997
• ambulances
• Red Cross
• Saudi Arabia
• reaction time
• emergency service
• hospital
• Asafny
• Saudi Red Crescent Authority
• mobile applications

Abbreviations

ARTs, ambulance response times; EMS, emergency medical services; GIS, Geographic Information Systems; HIMT, Health Information Management & Technology; IoT, internet of things; IRB, Institutional Review Board; KSA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; SD, standard deviation; SOS, Save our Souls; SPSS, Statistical Package for Social Sciences; SRCA, Saudi Red Crescent Authority.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the Eastern Province Saudi Red Crescent Authority. Special thanks to the Eastern Operations Department Manager & CIT, Eng. Saleh Ali Saleh Al-Asfour and to the System Engineering Communication & Information Technology Head Quarters, Eng. Akeel Yousef Alnwaiser, for giving us the opportunity to start this thesis and provided us with the data. We are also grateful to the paramedic Ammar Al Abadi, who answered our spontaneous questions and gave us a clear picture of how a paramedic works.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.