Introduction
Methods
Search strategy
Study selection
Data extraction
Results
Quantitative, evidence based studies
First author year (ref) | Country & sample size | Study design | Study aim | Triage protocol to determine eligibility for alternate route of care | Description of alternate route of care | Findings | Concluding evidence (and level of support) | Level of Evidence + |
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Blodgett 2020 [25] | UK n = 5283 | Pilot data linkage of retrospective patient data | To determine feasibility linking data to assess differences in patients conveyed directly to ED and those referred to a GP referral scheme | Paramedic Pathfinder (protocol tool outlining alternate routes of care) | Referral to partner GP providers | – Patients were more likely to be referred to GP if they were: i. women ii. older iii. Lower priority at dispatch. – 22% of referred patients presented and 13% were admitted to ED w/i 30 days. – There was no difference in hospital outcomes between GP-referred and directly conveyed groups. | Positive support – GP referral scheme provides a safe alternative path of care and does not increase risk of poor outcomes. – Recommendation for a large-scale study to provide evidence-based recommendations for changes to EMS care pathways. | 3 |
Ebben 2019 [26] | Netherlands n = 426 | Retrospective observational study | To describe characteristics of non-conveyance ambulance incidents | National protocol for EMS decisions | Referral to GP/medical specialist | – 31.1% of patients in a 12-month period were not conveyed. – 36.6% of non-conveyed patients were referred to GP and 6.1% to medical specialist. | Inconclusive support – A significant number of ambulance visits end in non-conveyance. – Note, differences between those conveyed, referred and left at home were not examined. | 6 |
Krumperman 2005 [27] | USA n = 2143 | Retrospective cohort | To compare patient satisfaction and referral adherence in two systems: i. “evaluate, treat and refer” ii. “telephone triage and referral” | No description of triage process | Referral to: i. primary care provider ii. urgent care centre | – Patients evaluated and referred by paramedic were less likely to follow instructions than those referred by telephone [odds ratio: 0.31 (0.14–0.69)]. – Patients were highly satisfied with the alternate route of care. | Positive support – Systems that use both pre-ambulance telephone triage and on-scene referral pathways can help avoid unnecessary ED visits. | 4 |
Larsson 2017 [28] | Sweden n = 394 | Prospective cohort study compared with a matched retrospective control group | To examine pre-hospital assessment of non-urgent patients, and investigate outcomes of different levels of care | Rapid Emergency Triage and Treatment System (RETTS) | - Consulted with GP to decide alternate route: i. primary home healthcare supervision ii. transportation to primary healthcare unit | – Intervention group resulted in: i. decreased ED conveyance (17.4%; 53.1%) ii. no difference in transport to primary care unit (8.7%; 10.4%) iii. Reduced on-scene ambulance time (87 min; 94 min) iv. decreased hospital admissions (11.4%; 25.6%) v. no additional secondary transport w/i 48 h (7.9%; 8.0%). | Positive support – Collaboration between ambulance nurses and GPs can improve appropriate level of care for non-urgent patients and safely decrease unnecessary ED conveyance. | 3 |
Magnusson 2016 [29] | Sweden n = 529 | Retrospective observational study | To describe characteristics, assessments, and routes of care of low priority patients (as assessed by dispatcher) | RETTS | Referral to: i. primary care appointment ii. community nurse iii. Mobile psychiatric or social care team. | – Compared to ED-conveyed patients, patients who were referred or given self-care advice: i. were younger ii. required a shorter job time. – Of those referred or left at home, 19% (visited ED within 72 h; half of these were admitted and a further half of those admitted required intervention/treatment). | Mixed support – Single-responder nurse can safely triage to the appropriate level of care, providing more effective use of emergency services. – Note that the study did not solely consider a group of referred patients (e.g. combined with self-care patients) so conclusions specific to referrals cannot be made. | 4 |
Magnusson 2020 [30] | Sweden n = 6712 | Prospective cohort | To assess patient characteristics and evaluate appropriateness of: i. initial triage and; ii. non-transport decisions | RETTS- Adults | Referral to: i. primary care; ii. social or home care | – Compared to ED-conveyed patients, non-conveyed patients were more likely: i. to be younger ii. to be women iii. have no medical history iv. have better vital signs v. to have been lower priority at initial dispatch. – 10% of non-conveyed patients were admitted to ED within 72 h (1% considered time-critical). | Mixed support – Defining patient characteristics that may help initial assessment. – Improved assessment tools, appropriate use of full triage and better education is necessary. | 4 |
Newton 2013 [31] | UK n = 481 | Prospective cohort | To evaluate if paramedics can safely use Paramedic Pathfinder to direct patients into alternate routes of care | Paramedic Pathfinder (protocol tool outlining alternate routes of care) | – Two alternate routes: i. community care pathway (referral to ambulance GP) ii. transport to urgent care centre | – There was high agreement in decision-making between expert senior medical practitioners and ambulance clinicians. – Sensitivity (95%) and specificity (58%) of the tool were sufficient. | Positive support – Ambulance clinicians can successfully use Paramedic Pathfinder to identify patients that do not require ED care. – The potential benefits of using the tool fully depend on provision of suitable community alternatives. | 4 |
O’Cathain 2018 [32] | UK i. n = 49 interviews ii. n = 615,815 calls iii. n = 20 interviews iv. n = 42,796 non-conveyed incidents | Mixed methods including: i. paramedic, manager, commissioner interviews ii. ambulance dispatch data iii. Qualitative telephone advice data iv. linked ambulance, hospital and mortality data | To understand differences in non-conveyance between ambulance services | Different triage systems in different services; no description of on-scene triage process | Alternative routes of care include referrals to: i. GP out-of-hours service (face to face or via telephone) ii. pharmacy iii. MIU iv. rgent care centre v. social worker vi. psychiatric pathways vii. Community services (home attendance) | – Non-conveyance to ED was facilitated by: i. formal referral pathways ii. informal relationships with local services iii. Organisational facilitation of connectivity between ambulance service and other emergency and urgent care services. – Ambulance trusts with higher rates of non-conveyance: i. had higher skilled paramedics ii. better valued training/skill of these skilled paramedics iii. Better organizational support iv. lower ED rates within 3 days of non-conveyed incident. | Positive support – Non-conveyance variation between ambulance services is due to: i. staff skill (e.g. advanced paramedics) ii. perceived value of advanced paramedics iii. Perceived risk adverse views of senior management iv. commissioning of services. – Standardisation of successful processes between ambulance services could reduce unwarranted differences in non-conveyance rates. | 4 |
Pickstone 2019 [33] | UK n = 1084 | Retrospective audit of referral services | To determine if referral service reduces ED attendances | No description of triage process | – Referral to @home team (which offers 25 acute in-home clinical care pathways) | – 755 (72%) referrals (including ambulance, community services and acute settings) over a 3-month period were accepted, with an estimated 397 ED attendances prevented. – This reduced total number of ED attendances by 0.3%. | Low support – The @home referral service reduces ED attendances by a small amount. – Investment of local health services does not have a sufficient impact on service delivery. | 4 |
Schaefer 2002 [34] | USA n = 1016 in intervention n = 2617 in control | Prospective cohort study compared with a matched retrospective control cohort | To evaluate if EMTs can correctly triage patients alternate care destinations | Two criteria: i. non-urgent severity code ii. one of 24 diagnosis codes | Referral to: i. urgent care centres ii. walk-in clinics iii. GP practices accepting walk-in patients | – Intervention group resulted in: i. increased clinic care (8.0%;4.5%) ii. decreased ED conveyance (44.6%; 51.8%). – Patients reported high satisfaction. | Positive support – Alternate care destinations can safely reduce ED visits and provide satisfactory care. – Further investigation of ways to ensure appropriate care of non-urgent patients is needed. | 3 |
Schmidt 2000 [35] | USA n = 1300 | Prospective cohort study with linked retrospective EMS chart review | To evaluate if emergency medical technicians can safely apply protocols to assign transport options | Series of triage protocols for categories of complaints (e.g. musculoskeletal injuries) | Referral to primary care provider | – There was no difference in classification of transport decision between EMTs and first responders (e.g. fire departments). – 3-11% of patients that were determined not to need ambulance had a critical medical event. – Based on occurrence of critical events, protocol sensitivity was high (95%) and specificity low (33%). | Low support – A better triage tool or improved triage adherence is required for EMTs to appropriately triage patients to alternate care routes. | 4 |
Schmidt 2001 [36] | USA n = 1300 (same sample as above) | Prospective cohort study with linked retrospective hospital chart review | To evaluate if emergency medical technicians can safely apply protocols to assign transport options | Series of triage protocols for categories of complaints (e.g. musculoskeletal injuries) | Referral to primary care provider | – 9% (13/140) of patients who were diverted away from ED were under triaged. – Patients with psychiatric complaints and dementia are at higher risk of under triage. | Mixed support – Protocols must be created and refined to minimise undertriage rates and ensure correct care pathways for patients. | 4 |
Snooks 2004 [37] | UK n = 409 in intervention n = 425 in control | Cluster randomised controlled trial and semi-structured interviews | To i. evaluate effectiveness of direct transport of patients to Minor Injury Unit (MIU) ii. describe factors that impact MIU use through interviews with ambulance crews | Protocol outlining 23 minor injuries eligible for transportation to MIU | Transportation to an MIU | – Alternate transportation scheme: i. did not increase non-ED conveyance in intervention group (25.9%; 23.1%) ii. decreased job cycle time, time to treatment and time in unit compared to ED iii. Improved patient’s rating of care. – Ambulance crews reported that location, patient needs, job times, improved service delivery and handover encouraged use of MIU. | Positive support – Despite underuse of MIUs, there are no adverse consequences for correct use and many potential benefits. | 2 |
Snooks 2004 [38] | UK n = 251 in intervention n = 537 in control | Phase 1: Protocol development Phase 2: Prospective cohort with matched control group | To develop and evaluate ‘Treat and Refer’ protocols | Treat & Refer protocols; training delivered to intervention crews (2-day course) | Referral to community based services (GP, district nurse, etc.) | – Referral scheme: i. did not increase non-conveyance in intervention group (37.1%; 36.3%) ii. improved documentation iii. Increased patient satisfaction iv. increased job times v. yielded safety concerns (5.4% of non-conveyed patients were admitted to ED w/i 14 days). | Mixed support – Referral scheme did not reduce unnecessary ED conveyance, although patient satisfaction was improved. – There were some concerns with the safety of referral protocols and further research is needed. | 3 |
Tohira 2016 [39] | Australia n = 67,387 | Assessment of past patient care records | To evaluate if paramedics can safely identify patients who can be managed in the community | Ordinal triage scale to determine acuity; no clinical guidelines to determine transport | Referral to health services in the community | – 4.8% of ED-transported patients were identified as potentially suitable for community-care. – 53.6% of these were admitted to hospital after direct ED conveyance. – Patients identified as suitable for community care were more likely to require subsequent ambulance request, ED visit and hospitalisation within 24 h than those who were not. | Low support – Paramedics were unable to accurately and safely triage patients to non-ED alternatives; this approach is high risk and requires further evaluation. | 4 |
Verma 2018 [40] | Canada n = 1851 | Retrospective cohort study | To examine associations between paramedic home care referrals and use of services (911 emergency call, ED, home care) | No formal triage criteria | Referral to community services via Community Care Access Centres | - Referrals reduced 911 emergency calls by 10% and ambulance transport to ED by 7%. | Positive support – Paramedics can successfully refer patients to community care access centres. – This has promising benefits for reducing future emergency care access including reduced emergency calls and ED conveyances by ambulance | 4 |
Vicente 2014 [41] | Sweden n = 410 in intervention n = 396 in control | Randomized controlled trial | To evaluate feasibility and safety of alternate transport to geriatric care | Decision support tools for 11 predefined conditions | Transportation to: i. geriatric care iv. community emergency care centre | – 20% of patients were transported to alternate route of care. – 6.7% of non-conveyed patients required transfer to ED w/i 72 h. | Positive support – Ambulance nurses can appropriately triage to alternate routes of care. – Such schemes can prevent inappropriate use of the ED and improve care of older adults. | 2 |
Villarreal 2017 [42] | UK n = 23,395 | Audit of routine ambulance data | Semi-structured paramedic interviews | Triage criteria covers 19 specific incident types | Referral via GP to: i. intermediate care teams ii. social services iii. Community hospitals iv. referral to patient’s own registered GP | – 78% of those who were referred to GP via telephone were not transported to hospital. Patients were more likely to be referred to GP if they were: i. women ii. older – assessed by GP face-to-face. | Positive support – Collaboration between paramedics and GP can reduce unnecessary ED transfers. – Recommendation for follow-up of hospital outcome and use of services in subsequent days to assess overall impact and safety of scheme. | 4 |
Qualitative, evidence based studies
First author year (ref) | Country & sample size | Data collection | Aim | Description of alternate route of care | Findings and concluding evidence (and level of support) | Level of Evidence + |
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Blodgett 2017 [13] | UK n = 8 | Semi-structured paramedic interviews and observation | To investigate paramedic’s perspectives on barriers and motivations on GP referrals. | Referral to GP via ambulance scheme | Paramedics described: i. time, process and training as the major barriers ii. their open mindedness and positivity about utilising the scheme iii. Frustrations with GP decision making iv. gaps in awareness and understanding of scheme. | 6 |
Brydges 2015 [43] | Canada n = 23 | Semi-structured paramedic interviews | To investigate paramedic’s perspectives on challenges and opportunities with referrals | Referral to community services via Community Care Access Centres | Paramedics reported: i. confusion in their role ii. inadequate knowledge on referral iii. no feedback on success of referral iv. lack of accountability on use of scheme v. desire to provide best care for patient. | 6 |
Bury 2005 [44] | Ireland n = 11 (surveys) n = 5 (interviews) | Questionnaire surveys from GP cooperatives Semi-structured interviews with senior management/ GPs | To describe the preparedness and contribution of GP co-operatives to manage emergencies in the community | Referral to GP co-operatives providing out-of-hours services | – 3/11 GP co-operatives had formal liaisons with ambulance service. – 4/8 GP co-operatives received referrals from ambulance services (3 unknown). – GPs reported uncertainty and anxiety in dealing with 999 referrals due to lack of established structure compared to normal practice. | 6 |
Hoglund 2019 [45] | Sweden n = 20 | Semi-structured interview with ambulance nurses | To explore ambulance nurses’ experiences of non- conveying patients to alternate levels of care | Transportation or referral to primary healthcare or other healthcare facility (optional consultation with GP) | Nurses reported: i. desire to find the best pathway of care ii. that non-conveyance is demanding and complex task and the main challenges were: • misconceptions by patients about ambulance need • resources shortages iii. Lack of training and mandates to convey to appropriate level of care. | 6 |
Jones 2005 [46] | USA n = 1058 | Cross-sectional surveys with ED patients | To assess if patients were willing to accept non-conveyance alternatives including different destination and/or modes of transport | Transport to urgent care centres or primary care physician offices or referral to telemedicine | Patients were: i. willing to consider transport to non-ED alternatives (69%) ii. more likely to consider alternatives if they were: younger, non-white race, lower patient acuity and had lower self-perceived illness severity. | 6 |
Knowles 2018 [47] | UK n = 49 | Semi-structured interviews with managers, paramedics and lead healthcare commissioner from 10 ambulance services in England | To explore variation in how ambulance services address non-conveyance for calls ending in telephone advice and discharge at scene | Transport or referral to range of different facilities: i. walk-in centre ii. MIU iii. GP | Differences between regional ambulance trusts had a substantial effect on use of alternative options. Main differences included: i. senior management’s approach to non-conveyance options (e.g. opportunity vs risky endeavour) ii. paramedic skill and training to appropriately triage patients to alternative care routes iii. Availability of services and care pathways that facilitate non-conveyance. | 6 |
Lederman 2019 [48] | Sweden n = 11 | Semi-structured interviews with ambulance nurse | To explore ambulance clinician’s experiences of assessing non-conveyed patients | Alternate transport or referral to: i. primary healthcare unit ii. MIU iii. Community care practitioner | Ambulance nurses reported: i. high willingness and recognition of benefits of non-conveyance alternatives ii. lack of confidence in decision making iii. Lack of organisational support for decision-making iv. insufficient training and feedback on non-conveyance decisions (e.g. missed learning opportunities). | 6 |
Miles 2019 [49] | UK n = 143 | Surveys with paramedic using quantitative and qualitative assessment of 6 patient vignettes | To: i. examine if paramedics can accurately identify the most clinically necessary destination ii. .understand what contributes to decision making. | Alternate: i. transport to MIU ii. referral to GP iii. Referral to pharmacist | – Paramedics decisions were made with 69% accuracy. – Sensitivity of correctly choosing ED: 0.90. – Specificity of correctly choosing non-ED routes: 0.49. – Decision-making was influenced by: i. patient safety ii. risk aversion (e.g. fear of litigation/consequences) iii. Comparison of patient’s presentation to normal condition. | 6 |
Power 2019 [50] | Ireland n = 375 | Survey of stakeholder opinions including: i. emergency medicine consultants ii. paramedics iii. Advanced paramedics | To understand stakeholder views on implementing a Treat and Referral care pathway to minimise ED attendance | Alternative routes not described, but cover all situations where an ambulance crew offers a disposition other than ambulance transport to an ED | – Stakeholders expressed clear support to introduce program into ambulance service. – There was a consensus that program would improve patient care and clinical judgement of practitioners. – The following suggestions were made: i. clinical audit to demonstrate improved care ii. initially implement program for advanced paramedics iii. Safety and efficacy of different clinical conditions must be evidence-based before implementation across trust. | 6 |
Rantala 2018 [51] | Sweden n = 111 | Cross-sectional surveys with patients assessed as non-urgent (yellow or green by RETTS) | To explore patient’s experiences of the person-centred climate (and construct validity of person-centeredness dimension) | Referrals to other level of care (e.g. primary care, GP visit at home) | Patients reported that: i. the environment was highly person-centred ii. their clinical complaints were taken seriously. | 6 |
Snooks 2005 [52] | UK n = 15 | Three focus groups with ambulance crews: 1x pre-intervention 1x post-intervention 1x control group. | The authors describe ambulance crew’s views about non-conveyance to hospital including decision making process, alternate route or care and use of triage protocols | Referral to community based services (GP, district nurse, etc.) using Treat & Refer protocols as described in [38] | Paramedics described: i. positivity about implementing referral scheme across the ambulance service ii. difficulties with the scheme including: •more training for paramedics •patients who were unreceptive to referral iii. Ensuring wider support of primary care and community services. | 6 |
Vicente 2013 [53] | Sweden n = 11 | Semi-structured interviews with older patients who were referred | To describe the patient experience of being offered an alternative care pathway to ED conveyance | Transportation to geriatric care or community emergency care centre as described in [41] | Patients reported: i. a preference for an alternative to direct conveyance to ED ii. a desire to be involved in the decision making. | 6 |
Consensus- based studies
First author year [ref] | Article type | Country | Description of alternate route of care | Article description and author recommendations | Level of Evidence + |
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Alpert 2005 [54] | Commentary and economic cost analysis | USA | Transport to a physician’s office or health centre | – Between 12 and 16% of Medicare covered transport to ED were avoidable. – Federal government could save $283–560 million+ per year if EMS ambulances can refer to non-ED alternatives. | 7 |
Altoft 2003 [55] | Scheme overview | UK | Intermediate care scheme that provides nursing care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation | – Referrals to scheme from ambulance crews are rare. – Paramedics who have used the scheme have positive reports. – Increased use of scheme can prevent hospital conveyance and admission and provide better patient care. | 7 |
Arendts 2011 [56] | Study protocol | Australia | Referral to a rapid (w/i 4 h) response primary care service in the patient’s own residence | – Protocol outlines: 1. randomisation to: i. intervention (rapid response service) ii. control (direct ED conveyance) 2. assessed outcomes will be: i. unplanned medical attention w/i first 48 h ii. clinical hospital outcomes iii. Cost benefit analysis. | 7 |
Asplin 2001 [58] | Editorial | UK | To discuss how and who should identify patients that can be triaged safely away from ED and how to reduce unnecessary ED visits | – Several key issues are highlighted: i. paramedic’s ability to triage and make decisions ii. patient safety of non-conveyance alternatives iii. Cost effectiveness of non-conveyance alternatives iv. access barriers experienced by EMS staff and patients. | 7 |
Blodgett 2017 [16] | Viewpoint | UK | To discuss an ambulance trust’s GP referral policy as an alternate to direct conveyance | – Overview of a collaborative telephone referral policy between on-scene paramedic and GP is provided. – Early evidence suggests that 61% of patients referred to GP do not attend ED within 30 days. – There are some positive results, but critical appraisal of patient safety and re-contact rates is necessary. | 7 |
Emergency Medical Services Committee 2001 [59] | Policy statement | USA | No specific alternate route of care described | The American College of Emergency Physicians and the National Association of EMS Physicians identify the need for alternative routes of care and outline key elements that should be included: i. physician medical director oversight ii. assurance of patient safety in development/intervention iii. Training for ambulance personnel iv. compliance with dispatch criteria v. no circumvention of 999/911 system vi. consistent with medical necessity vii. Appropriate compensation for EMS systems. | 7 |
American College of Emergency Physicians 2008 [60] | The above policy was reaffirmed in 2008. | 7 | |||
Hsiao 1994 [61] | Commentary | USA | To propose a regional community health monitoring and referral system | Authors overview a model in which a centralized monitoring agency could coordinate EMS use and link patients to required levels of care, support, education and interventions. | 7 |
Morganti 2014 [62] | Commentary | USA | To propose changes in payment policy that allow and promote alternatives to direct ED conveyance | – Current American payment policies discourage non-conveyance to ED. – There are theoretical benefits of alternate transport settings and on-scene treatment alternatives. – Assessment of alternate pathways of care is a high priority. | 7 |
Munjal 2019 [63] | Viewpoint | USA | To discuss barriers and consequences of alternative payment model that allows EMS agencies to be reimbursed for non-conveyance to ED | – Alternate care routes include: i. nurse triage ii. treatment by health care practitioner on scene or via telephone iii. Transportation to urgent care centre or primary care physician. – Main barriers are: i. patient safety ii. quality measurement and assurance iii. Feasibility of payment models in different jurisdictions. – Emphasised that the alterative model is a major advancement for out of hospital care. | 7 |
Sawyer 2017 [64] | Editorial | USA | To highlight concerns of alternatives to ED conveyance (including transport to primary care, general medical clinics, urgent care centres, and other social or psychological services) | – Several concerns about implementing alternative transport options: i. limited evidence to support ‘theoretical’ claims of benefit to ED use, cost saving and enhanced primary care access ii. patient safety as a result of under triage by paramedic iii. Alternative destinations will disproportionately affect critically ill and vulnerable patient populations. | 7 |