Care model factors of pre-hospital emergency services in Iran

Introduction: The care model of pre-hospital emergency services is one of the most important factors of reducing mortalities and Morbidities in emergency events. The aim of this study was to determine the care model factors of pre-hospital emergency services in Iran. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was done in the first half of 2010 using a group decision-making technique. Required data were collected via questionnaires filled by 30 Iranian experts in pre-hospital emergency, who were selected by convenient sampling. Influential (influenced, affected or effective) factors were determined using SPSS 17.0 software (One-Sample T-Test) and then prioritized by MATLAB and Visio software. Results: According to Franco-German and Anglo-American models along with the most appropriate hospital in terms of incident type and duration, the classification of emergency medical services (Basic Life Support [BLS], Intermediate Life Support [ILS] and Advanced Life Support [ALS])and medical direction were counted as care model factors. In addition, the classification of emergency medical services and the most appropriate hospital based on incident type and duration were determined as the most affecting and affected care model factors, respectively, with the coordinates (1.21 and 1.21) and (1.01 and -1.01) on the pre-hospital emergency care model factors graph. Conclusion: Care model as one of the factors of pre-hospital emergency services in Iran is very important and should be considered as a subsystem that interacts with other subsystems. The classification of emergency medical services (BLS, ILS and ALS), based on Anglo-American and Franco-German models, medical direction, as well as the most appropriate hospital based on incident type are essential for making fundamental reforms in providing emergency medical services in Iran.