Use of Fixed Wing Modified Scene Air Ambulance Responses for Injured Patients in Northern Ontario: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective

Timely access to a lead trauma hospital (LTH) saves lives; however, the vast geography of Northern Ontario creates a barrier to equitable access to an LTH. Paramedics in Ontario follow the field trauma triage standard (FTTS) to identify which patients should be directly brought to an LTH. A pilot project was launched using a fixed wing modified scene response (MSR) to transport patients from Northern Ontario who met the FTTS directly to an LTH. This study aimed to 1) explore the impact of the fixed wing MSR pilot program on the time to LTH arrival for injured patients in Northern Ontario compared with the traditional interfacility transfer (IFT) process and 2) determine the frequency and specific FTTS criteria that were fulfilled.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of injured patients in Northern Ontario who were emergently transported to an LTH by the provincial air ambulance service between January 2016 and October 2021. Electronic patient care records were manually reviewed, and patient cases were grouped by their sending and receiving facilities to evaluate time differences between MSR and IFT.

Results

For same-distance transports, the average time from injury to trauma center arrival was reduced with MSR (292.8 minutes) compared with IFT (507.8 minutes), with a mean difference of 130.3 minutes. All MSR cases and 90% of IFT cases met at least 1 FTTS criterion.

Conclusion

Fixed wing MSR improves access to timely definitive care for injured patients in Northern Ontario, and all patients transported in this pilot project met the trauma bypass criteria.