Emergency: A New Ambulance Despatch System

Abstract

This case study charts the story of the problematic implementation of a computerised despatch system for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) in Melbourne, Australia. The system itself is now operational; however, the legal and political implications are still subject to the deliberations of inquiry boards and police investigations. The value of the case study is in highlighting some of the pitfalls and implications of failing to consider the financial pressures and resource constraints that define the (medical) despatch environment.