Model Development for Emergency Medical Service Accessibility in the Community, Trang Province

Abstract

This participatory action research was aimed to develop a model for emergency medical service accessibility in the community in Trang Province by using community participation approach. The stakeholders consisted of representatives of the executives of local administrative organization, community leaders, volunteers, leaders and related officials, totaling 45 people. Numpud Sub-district, Meuang District, Trang Province was selected as the study area. The model was developed from situation analysis of emergency medical service in the study area and stakeholders group discussion, then verified by experts, and adjusted accordingly. The results revealed that the structure of the model consisted of (1) the people and related agencies, (2) the sub-district emergency medical service unit, and (3) the dispatch center. The trial period of the model was 3 months (February - April 2023). Moreover, a total of 123 leaders and volunteers from 12 villages were assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding emergency medical service before and after applying the developed model. The results showed that after applying the developed model, the leaders and volunteers had the mean scores of the knowledge, attitudes and practices higher than those before applying the developed model, with a significant level (p<0.001). The proportion of accessibility to emergency medical services and the proportion of services rendered by operational units within 10 minutes were also increased. The success factors included participation of people in the community, utilization of the resources available in the community, and the use of internet communication channels that allowed remote areas without phone signal to access the service, including relevant agencies such as subdistrict administrative organizations and subdistrict health promoting hospital having the policies to develop an emergency medical service system in the community.