Availability of Essential Medical Equipment for Prehospital Trauma Care on Public Ambulances in Ukraine

Abstract

Introduction:

The public ambulance system in Ukraine is the primary deliverer of prehospital care for trauma patients in this Eastern European country, but no national assessment has previously been made to ensure the presence of essential medical equipment on these ambulances.

Aim:

Working with the Ukraine Ministry of Health, our aim was to assess the availability of public ambulances of medical equipment essential for managing traumatic injury using an internationally recognized standard for prehospital care.

Methods:

We identified 53 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances from randomly selected cities for evaluation. We performed an inventory of available medical equipment and supplies on these ambulances against a matrix of essential equipment for prehospital providers developed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Results:

Essential medical equipment in the categories of personal protection, patient monitoring, hemorrhage control, and immobilization were generally available in the ALS public ambulances surveyed. Deficiencies were noted in equipment and supplies for basic and advanced airway monitoring and management.

Discussion:

Public ALS ambulances across Ukraine are adequately equipped with many essential medical supplies to manage traumatic injury, but have deficiencies in both basic and advanced airway management. Correcting these deficiencies may improve prehospital survival of the traumatically injured patient. The results of this study will enable the Ukraine Ministry of Health to develop requirements of essential medical equipment for all public ALS ambulances in the country, to inform resource allocation decisions, and to guide public health policy regarding prehospital trauma care.