Esposito says alternate transport programs need public education
Esposito discusses telemedicine, alternative transport, treat-in-place, and 911-to-988 programs as ways to avoid lengthy transports. He says callers overwhelmingly expect hospital transport, so these programs will require lengthy public education before significant use.
There are a variety of alternate ways to treat patients outside of the traditional model of transporting them to an emergency department at a hospital.
We have piloted and tested different versions with varying levels of acceptance by the public.
Programs like telemedicine, alternative transport,
Treat in Place and 911 to 988 provide models that would avoid lengthy transports.
However, our experience has shown that the members of the public who call 911 are overwhelmingly expected to receive transport to a hospital.
So it will likely take lengthy periods of education and outreach before these programs are used by significant numbers of callers.
We continue to explore the appropriate method of pursuing these alternatives.