Associate Professor Bridget KoolDr Bridget Kool is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Academic), at The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Science. She was a paediatric surgical nurse for 25 years, and former paediatric trauma coordinator at Starship Child Health. She has completed a MPH and a PhD both focusing on injury epidemiology. Her current research interests focus on trauma outcomes, EMS access, the role of alcohol in injury, and child injury.
Bridget is a former New Zealand President of the Australasian Epidemiological Association and is an invited member of the Statistics New Zealand Working Group for Serious Injury Information. She is an Associate Editor for Injury, and on the executive of the Australasian Injury Prevention Network. |
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What Difference do Ambulance Service Locations Make in Trauma Care Delivery in New Zealand
Bridget Kool, Rebbecca Lilley, Brandon de Graaf, and Gabrielle Davie
Rapid access to advanced Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and trauma care has been shown to significantly reduce mortality and disability. This study aimed to systematically examine geographical access to prehospital care provided by EMS and advanced-level hospital care, for the smallest geographical units used in New Zealand (NZ) and explores national disparities in geographical access to these services. An observational study involving geospatial analysis of theoretical population access to EMS and advanced-level hospital care was conducted. The proportion of the resident population with calculated EMS access to advanced-level hospital care within 60 minutes was examined by age, sex, ethnicity, level of deprivation, and population density. An estimated 16% of NZ’s population does not have timely EMS access to advanced-level hospital care via road or air. Those without timely access live mostly in areas of low-moderate population density. Indigenous Māori, NZ European and older New Zealanders are less likely to have timely access. These findings suggest that in NZ, geographically marginalised groups have poorer EMS access to advanced-level hospitals. Addressing these inequities in rapid access to medical care may lead to improvements in survival that have been documented for people who experience medical or surgical emergencies.
Bridget Kool, Rebbecca Lilley, Brandon de Graaf, and Gabrielle Davie
Rapid access to advanced Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and trauma care has been shown to significantly reduce mortality and disability. This study aimed to systematically examine geographical access to prehospital care provided by EMS and advanced-level hospital care, for the smallest geographical units used in New Zealand (NZ) and explores national disparities in geographical access to these services. An observational study involving geospatial analysis of theoretical population access to EMS and advanced-level hospital care was conducted. The proportion of the resident population with calculated EMS access to advanced-level hospital care within 60 minutes was examined by age, sex, ethnicity, level of deprivation, and population density. An estimated 16% of NZ’s population does not have timely EMS access to advanced-level hospital care via road or air. Those without timely access live mostly in areas of low-moderate population density. Indigenous Māori, NZ European and older New Zealanders are less likely to have timely access. These findings suggest that in NZ, geographically marginalised groups have poorer EMS access to advanced-level hospitals. Addressing these inequities in rapid access to medical care may lead to improvements in survival that have been documented for people who experience medical or surgical emergencies.
