News Release
July 12th, 2011
Patients Remain Highly Satisfied with Ambulance New Brunswick Services
High marks for ambulance services across the province
MONCTON, NB – A survey among New Brunswick patients who used ambulance services showed patients continue to be very satisfied with the services offered by Ambulance New Brunswick (ANB). According to this third survey commissioned in 2010 by New Brunswick EMS, ANB patients expressed a very high-level of satisfaction, with overall satisfaction ratings all above 9.51 on a scale of 1 to 10, a slight increase from last year’s survey, which were all above 9.46 on a scale of 1 to 10.
The survey asked respondents to rate the overall level of satisfaction with ambulance services from the time the call was placed to get an ambulance, to the telephone conversation with the emergency medical dispatcher, the care and treatment received when the paramedics arrived to get the patient, the care and treatment received during the ambulance trip, and finally, the way paramedics eased the patient’s admission at their destination.
"I’m very proud that our team continues to provide quality care to patients across the province. Our entire team is dedicated and this is reflected by the high degree of satisfaction expressed by patients in this survey”, said Alan Stephen, Ambulance New Brunswick’s President and CEO.
“I have no doubt that our paramedics, flight nurses and emergency medical dispatchers will continue to meet and exceed high standards in patient care,” continues Stephen.
The top three ratings in 2010 were:
- Cleanliness of the vehicle and medical equipment (9.80 out of 10)
- Helpfulness of the emergency medical dispatcher (9.75 out of 10)
- Politeness and courtesy of the emergency medical dispatch and the care and treatment provided by the paramedics during the trip (9.72 out of 10)
On a scale of 1 to 10, patients also expressed very high levels of satisfaction, by rating at nine or above different components of the ambulance service, for example:
- 9.71 for the courtesy of the paramedic (9.68 in 2009)
- 9.70 for the emergency medical dispatcher’s professionalism (9.48 in 2009)
- 9.69 for the emergency medical dispatcher demonstrating concern (9.33 in 2009)
- 9.68 for the emergency medical dispatcher listening carefully (9.35 in 2009)
- 9.68 for the condition of the medical equipment and the vehicle (9.57 in 2009)
- 9.68 for the level of concern about the well being of the patient demonstrated by the paramedic (9.59 in 2009)
Of all the survey topics, the comfort of the ambulance trip is the only item to come in slightly lower at 8.9 (up from 8.81 in 2009).
According to the research, there were no significant differences in the satisfaction levels of urban and rural respondents except that, as in 2008 and 2009, rural respondents were slightly more satisfied than urban respondents, although the differences were too narrow to be statistically significant.
The research, which has a regional margin of error of +/- 3.5%, 19 times out of 20, was completed in ANB’s four administrative regions in English and French. The survey is based on a total of 800 telephone interviews, which were carried out in January, April, July and November 2010. Fourteen per cent of the total sample was aged 18 to 34, 36% was 35 to 64, 27% was 65 to 79 and 23% was 80 years or more.
This is the third user satisfaction survey since all ambulance services in the province have been consolidated under Ambulance New Brunswick in 2007. ANB will continue conducting patient satisfaction surveys on a regular basis.
The research was conducted by MarketQuest-Omnifacts.
About Ambulance New Brunswick
ANB is dedicated to providing high-quality pre-hospital care for New Brunswickers. ANB is responsible for providing land and air ambulance services throughout New Brunswick. ANB has contracted with New Brunswick EMS, a subsidiary of Medavie EMS, member of the Medavie Blue Cross Group of Companies, to ensure delivery of these services under a long-term contract.
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Media contacts:
Sophie Cormier-Lalonde
External Communications Officer
Ambulance New Brunswick
(506) 872-6579
sophie.cormier-lalonde@smunbems.ca
Craig Wight
Vice-President
MarketQuest Omnifacts
(506) 855-2642
craig@marketquest.ca