Oregon Air Ambulance Services.

A descriptive study of air ambulance services in the State of Oregon. Sixteen of 18 services responded to questionnaire. Study investigated the types of patients transported, extents of industry regulation and enforcement, sources of funding, type of aircraft utilized, extent of aeromedical personnel training, adequacy of medical equipment, service location, organization of staff, patient care requirements, transport routes and destinations, quality assurance mechanisms, adequacy of documentation, service responsiveness, and patient outcomes. Results indicated that trauma patients travelling to larger medical centers were the primary patient category. Generally, Registered Nurses accompanied patients. Patients were not aeromedically evaluated prior to airlift resulting in inappropriate transports. Inflight documentation and record maintenance was lacking. Most agencies met Advanced Life Support standards for equipment. Aircraft lacked pressurization and adequate doorway size. Specialized aeromedical attendant training was generally insufficient.