Study on the quality of ambulance care recieves media attention
A new study by Daniel Knutsson, post-doc at HEFUU, and docent Björn Tyrefors is referenced in Expressen and Arbetet. In the study they investigate the quality differences between publicly and privately-owned ambulances in Stockholm.
The researchers find that ambulances that are privately owned reduce costs, have shorted dispatch times and perform better on contracted measures. However, they perform worse on noncontracted parameters such as mortality. In fact, a patient has 1.4% higher risk of death within three years if a private ambulance is dispatched compared to a public ambulance. The researchers say that the difference partly depend on private firms offering less in-service training and rely on overtime to a larger degree, which has an effect on the quality of the care.