Response Time and Causes of Delay in Prehospital Emergency Missions in Mashhad, 2015

Background: The response time is considered as one of the most important criteria for the quality of given care to the injured. This research aimed to investigate the frequency and causes of prehospital emergency delays in the 115 emergency center, in city of Mashhad, in 2015. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 21,142 missions performed in 2015 were investigated, from among which 640 missions with delays in systematic sampling were recognized. For data analysis purposes, descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and SD) in Excel 2013 software was implemented. Results: Nearly 60% of the injured were men, 23% women, and the gender of 17% was not recorded in their profiles. The mean age of the injured was 29.8+15.9 years and 30% of the injured were in the age group of 16 to 25. The mean response time was 9:01+2:46. The most prevalent causes related to missions out of the operational zone (29.3%) and the second cause has been related to traffic groups (24.2%). Conclusion: Establishing new bases and completing the number of ambulances and human recourses, intervention in traffic causing factors, and training the public about emergency cases can be effective in reducing the number of missions and the pace and quality of services provided to the injured.