Abstract

Emergency medical services (EMS) have developed from conveyance facilities into providers of advanced pre-hospital care.[1,2] Alongside this development there is a growing demand for EMS care, and the number of ambulance deployments is increasing.[3,4] Suggested reasons for this growing demand are changes in social support of people, accessibility of healthcare and social facilities, and the aging population.[4] However, not all patients who call for an ambulance and where an ambulance is dispatched are in need for conveyance to an emergency department, despite the acute nature of the healthcare problems of these patients.[5] A significant part of those patients are treated and left on-scene. Non- conveyance is an appropriate ambulance deployment where the patient after on-scene assessment and/or treatment does not require conveyance with medical personnel and equipment to a healthcare facility.[6]Non-conveyance can be initiated by the professional, the patient or through shared decision making.[7]Non- conveyance has an impact on ambulance availability and system efficiency, and the safety of non-conveyance is questioned.[8]

Authors and Affiliations