Motorcycle response in an urban area: does it make a difference?

The primary aim of theresearch was to determinewhether a motorcycle responsevehicle (MRV) could reduceresponse times and improveresuscitation outcomes inurban areas. The secondaryaim was to evaluate differencesin dispatch and transportbetween MRV and ambulances.

A non-randomised, prospective, cohort study wascarried out over seven monthsin the Dutch city of Utrechtwhich has a population of265 000. All calls classifed asurgent were included in thestudy if they occurred duringthe operating hours of the MRV(Monday–Friday 7:30–23:00and Saturday and Sunday10:00–18:00). There were someexclusion criteria including, for example, if the call camefrom outside the city limits;incomplete documentation ofresponse times etc.

Data pertaining todemographic information, presenting complaint, treatmentand transportation decisionswere collected throughinterrogation of the patients’Ambulance RegistrationRecords. Patient outcomeswere determined by examininghospital databases, and anysurvivors were followed for12 months after hospitaladmission.

There were 1842 emergencydispatches in the study period, but only 1664 were consideredprimary dispatches: MRVn=468, ambulance n=1196.

The demographics of thepatient groups were notidentical as there was a setof dispatch criteria for MRVswhich resulted in signifcantdifferences between the twogroups, which the authorsrecognize as a limitation of thestudy.