Download This PaperWhere Are You? The Problem of Location During Emergencies
University of Milan Bicocca Department of Economics, Management and Statistics Working Paper No. 439
37 Pages Posted: 23 Apr 2020
Date Written: April 20, 2020
Abstract
Rapid response to an emergency call is crucial to its outcome, but little is known about the determinants of response time. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, it is shown that the time it takes to find the patient’s location accounts for 30% of the response time. The analysis compares the time required to cover each segment of the ambulance trip – from the hospital to the patient’s location and then back to the hospital – according to whether the patient is at home or at some other location that responders can more easily locate. The magnitude of the effect does not appear to be affected by the distance traveled. It is suggested that introducing a technology that gives care providers precise information about a patient’s location would substantially improve performance at a minimal cost.
Keywords: D29, D90, I12, I18, R41
JEL Classification: Ambulance, Emergency, Organizational Performance, Response Time
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation