South Korean emergency transport pilot program eliminates 'ER뺑뺑이' but faces secondary care challenges

An emergency patient transport pilot program implemented in South Korea's Honam region has achieved a significant success: zero instances of "ER뺑뺑이," a term describing emergency patients being turned away or facing prolonged delays in hospital admission. The initiative, running from March to May, focused on streamlining the process of finding a suitable hospital for emergency cases.

Previously, 119 emergency medical technicians would individually contact multiple hospitals. The new system, however, involves a more coordinated approach. When a hospital's acceptance is delayed, information is progressively shared among the fire department, medical institutions, and a regional command center to expedite patient placement. This led to a decrease in the number of hospitals contacted per case, from an average of 5.8 last year to 3.8 during the pilot period.

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The most requested supplementary measure at the meeting was strengthening secondary care.

The program also saw a reduction in the time from emergency vehicle arrival to departure at the scene in Gwangju and Jeonbuk, by over a minute and 24 seconds, respectively. While the average daily deaths among severely ill patients saw a slight decrease, and hospital admissions increased, the effectiveness varied across regions, with Jeonnam experiencing a slight increase in transport time.

Despite these improvements in patient transport, a critical challenge remains: bolstering the secondary care infrastructure. Experts emphasize that while finding a receiving hospital has improved, ensuring sufficient specialists and beds for subsequent surgeries, hospitalizations, and intensive care is crucial for comprehensive treatment. The Ministry of Health and Welfare acknowledged this need, planning to expand specialized medical personnel and beds, and strengthen inter-regional treatment networks.

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Some regions lack specialists for specific diseases. In the long term, we will expand specialized personnel and beds. For now, we will strengthen disease-specific treatment networks to allow treatment beyond regional boundaries.