Comparison of Time Indicators and Outcome of Pre-hospital Emergency Operations in Two Methods of Electronic Registration with Asayar Program and Paper Registration

Pre-hospital care report is a valid medical document containing demographic information, vital signs, times related to ambulance location, evaluations, and performed medical procedures. With the advancement of technology and communication, Asayar smart program has replaced the paper registration method. Therefore, the current study aimed to compare the time indicators and outcome of pre-hospital emergency operations in two methods of electronic registration with the Asayar program and paper registration.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Isfahan in 2019. A number of 700 missions registered by paper in 2017 and 230 missions recorded by Asayar program methods in 2018 were reviewed. Samples were selected by a stratified method with a proportional allocation approach. In order to collect data, researcher-made tools were designed, and content validity was examined. Data analysis was performed by propensity score matching, descriptive statistics, as well as Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests.

The results demonstrated that incomplete data were obtained at 2.68% and 7.19%  in the Asayar method and the paper method, respectively. The rates of hospital admission in the Asayar and paper methods were reported as 0.9% and  4.9%, respectively. Ambulance arrival time at the patientchr('39')s bedside, in the Asayar and paper methods were calculated at 8 min and 43 sec and 11 min and 30 sec, respectively. Moreover, the time of ambulance discharge from the hospital in the Asayar and paper methods were reported as 9 min and 20 sec and 12 min and 37 sec.

As evidenced by the obtained results, documentation by the Asayar method reduced the lost data and increased patient admission in hospitals. Furthermore, it reduced the time of ambulance arrival at the patientchr('39')s bedside and the time of ambulance release.