Communications of the ACM
Algorithm Predicts Fate of Emergency Medical Service Callers
Credit: www.jus.state.nc.us
A computer algorithm that can predict the risk of dying for individuals who place calls for emergency medical service has been developed by researchers in Japan. A team from the Yokohama City University School of Medicine used the computer program with Yokohama's computer-based triage emergency system from October 2008 to March 2009. The researchers entered the triage information for more than 60,000 emergency calls into the computer system to categorize patients based on the severity of their condition. Kenji Ohshige and his team then compared the program's estimated threat of dying with the actual patients' condition upon arrival at the hospital emergency department. The algorithm was effective in assessing the life risk of a patient with more than 80 percent sensitivity.
"A patient's life threat risk can be quantitatively expressed at the moment of the emergency call with a moderate level of accuracy," Ohshige says. "The algorithm for estimating a patient's life threat risk should be improved further as more data are collected."
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