Integrating Spatial-Temporal Risk Factors for an Ambulance Allocation Strategy: A Case Study in Bangkok

Abstract

Dedicated emergency medical services (EMS) are important to patients’ chances of survival. In particular, the quicker such services arrive at the scene of an incident, the higher the survival rate. Therefore, the management of ambulance bases is an essential aspect of emergency medical services. Further, the locations of ambulance bases are determined based on patient demand. However, in practice, many elements should be taken into account in a risk assessment of given areas within a locale. Specifically, each area should be assessed for the number and severity of accidents that ordinarily take place there, the number and size of the public events it hosts, its population density, and the number of elderly people resident. In this study, we use a spatial-temporal approach to integrate those factors into a risk assessment of areas relative to each other in a locale. Based on this risk assessment, we determine the optimal locations for ambulance bases in order to minimize response time. We validate our approach using Bangkok as a case study.