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Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System Codes and Air Ambulance Helicopter Tasking in New Zealand: A Retrospective Observational Study.

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Τίτλος: Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System Codes and Air Ambulance Helicopter Tasking in New Zealand: A Retrospective Observational Study.
Συγγραφείς: Bates IEF; University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Hato Hone St John, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: Izaak.bates@icloud.com., Griffiths R; University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand., Clarke R; University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Northern Rescue Helicopter Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
Πηγή: Air medical journal [Air Med J] 2026 May-Jun; Vol. 45 (3), pp. 226-230. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 05.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article; Observational Study
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Mosby Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9312325 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-6497 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1067991X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Air Med J Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: 1996- : St Louis, MO : Mosby
Original Publication: Carlsbad, CA : JEMS Communications, c1993-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Air Ambulances*/statistics & numerical data , Triage* , Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems*, New Zealand ; Retrospective Studies ; Humans
Περίληψη: Objective: Air ambulance helicopters are a scarce and costly resource in New Zealand. Despite widespread use of the Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System (AMPDS), no validated framework exists to determine which determinant codes are associated with helicopter tasking. This study aimed to examine whether specific AMPDS codes are associated with an increased likelihood of helicopter arrival at the scene in New Zealand.
Methods: A retrospective observational study using all AMPDS-coded incidents recorded by the Emergency Ambulance Communications Centre from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, was conducted. Exclusions included interhospital transfers, search and rescue events, direct air desk notifications, and nonpatient incidents. For each code, incident volume and helicopter arrivals at the scene were measured. Codes were classified as high volume (≥ 50 helicopter arrivals) or high yield (arrival ratio, ≤ 1:10).
Results: Among 1,161,169 AMPDS-coded incidents, 34,869 (3.0%) were reviewed by an air desk clinician and 7,688 (0.66%) resulted in a helicopter arrival. Thirty-seven codes generated ≥ 50 arrivals, accounting for 59.3% of helicopter responses but representing 440,781 incidents overall. An additional 102 codes had arrival ratios of ≤ 1:10, although most had low absolute volumes. Only 3 traffic-related codes (29D06, 29D02N, 29D02K) met both criteria, accounting for 823 incidents (0.07%) and 192 arrivals (2.5%). In contrast, 791 codes never produced a helicopter arrival, including 133 with > 100 incidents.
Conclusion: AMPDS codes alone have limited discriminative capacity for helicopter tasking in New Zealand. A small subset of traffic-related codes demonstrated predictive value and may support more targeted referral pathways. Integrating selected high-yield codes with geospatial thresholds and availability of local critical care resources may streamline clinician review, reduce overtriage, and optimize deployment of scarce aeromedical assets.
(Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant disclosures. There was no grant funding or financial support for this manuscript. Izaak Bates is employed as a senior clinician with the National Air Desk and serves as a clinical advisor to the Aeromedical Commissioning Programme.
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260502 Date Completed: 20260716 Latest Revision: 20260820
Update Code: 20260820
DOI: 10.1016/j.amj.2026.01.016
PMID: 42069358
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Bates+IEF%22">Bates IEF</searchLink>; University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Hato Hone St John, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: Izaak.bates@icloud.com.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Griffiths+R%22">Griffiths R</searchLink>; University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Clarke+R%22">Clarke R</searchLink>; University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Northern Rescue Helicopter Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Air+Ambulances%22">Air Ambulances*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Air+Ambulances+statistics+%26+numerical+data%22">statistics & numerical data</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Triage%22">Triage*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Emergency+Medical+Service+Communication+Systems%22">Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22New+Zealand%22">New Zealand</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Retrospective+Studies%22">Retrospective Studies</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Humans%22">Humans</searchLink>
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  Data: Objective: Air ambulance helicopters are a scarce and costly resource in New Zealand. Despite widespread use of the Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System (AMPDS), no validated framework exists to determine which determinant codes are associated with helicopter tasking. This study aimed to examine whether specific AMPDS codes are associated with an increased likelihood of helicopter arrival at the scene in New Zealand.<br />Methods: A retrospective observational study using all AMPDS-coded incidents recorded by the Emergency Ambulance Communications Centre from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, was conducted. Exclusions included interhospital transfers, search and rescue events, direct air desk notifications, and nonpatient incidents. For each code, incident volume and helicopter arrivals at the scene were measured. Codes were classified as high volume (≥ 50 helicopter arrivals) or high yield (arrival ratio, ≤ 1:10).<br />Results: Among 1,161,169 AMPDS-coded incidents, 34,869 (3.0%) were reviewed by an air desk clinician and 7,688 (0.66%) resulted in a helicopter arrival. Thirty-seven codes generated ≥ 50 arrivals, accounting for 59.3% of helicopter responses but representing 440,781 incidents overall. An additional 102 codes had arrival ratios of ≤ 1:10, although most had low absolute volumes. Only 3 traffic-related codes (29D06, 29D02N, 29D02K) met both criteria, accounting for 823 incidents (0.07%) and 192 arrivals (2.5%). In contrast, 791 codes never produced a helicopter arrival, including 133 with > 100 incidents.<br />Conclusion: AMPDS codes alone have limited discriminative capacity for helicopter tasking in New Zealand. A small subset of traffic-related codes demonstrated predictive value and may support more targeted referral pathways. Integrating selected high-yield codes with geospatial thresholds and availability of local critical care resources may streamline clinician review, reduce overtriage, and optimize deployment of scarce aeromedical assets.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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  Data: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant disclosures. There was no grant funding or financial support for this manuscript. Izaak Bates is employed as a senior clinician with the National Air Desk and serves as a clinical advisor to the Aeromedical Commissioning Programme.
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