Authors (including presenting author) :
GEE HY, SO MTY, CHENG TF, TSE TW, WONG CW, KUNG CM (1) CHAN LP, YU LM, LI YS (2)
Affiliation :
(1)Major Incident Control Centre, Hospital Authority Head Office (HAHO MICC) (2)Business Support Systems Team 1, Hospital Authority Head Office (HAHO IT&HI BSS T1)
Keyword 1: :
Patient safety and service improvement
Keyword 2: :
Efficient operation and communication
Keyword 3: :
AI integration
Keyword 4: :
Surveillance and resource utilisation
Keyword 5: :
Data precision and auditing
Introduction :
Before the implementation of SABS, HA’s telephonic requests for ambulance service exhibited deficiencies, including inadequate documentation, exhaustion from repeated manual calls, and limited analytical capabilities. Following the post-fifth wave of COVID-19 and service modifications of the Fire Services Department (FSD) in June 2022, the implementation of mandatory P1 clinical escorts and restricted P2 provisions exacerbated repetitive booking requests and operational efficiency. SABS was developed through interdepartmental collaboration to streamline request documentation and monitoring, enabling comprehensive tracking of status and waiting times. SABS was officially launched on 6 May 2025 to ensure optimal patient conveyance and enhance service quality.
Objectives :
1.Ensure patient safety and timely patient conveyance through improved coordination. 2.Enhance communication effectiveness and reduce administrative burden. 3.Streamline booking through the AI element. 4.Optimise resource utilisation. 5.Establish a comprehensive data platform.
Methodology :
SABS integrates with the CMS platform, automating P1 conference calls for immediate communication with the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) and utilising AI Voicebot notifications for P2 ambulance assignments. SABS captures comprehensive datasets including patient demographics, clinical identifiers, timestamps, and operational metrics. It intelligently groups the appropriate P2 cases at the same locations to facilitate and optimise resource utilisation. HO IT&HI regularly provides relevant SABS data to MICC for evaluation, and the HAHO Statistics & Data Science Department (S&DS) assisted in data analysis. Statistics Summary was shared with the Cluster Representatives and FSD for continuous enhancement of operational effectiveness and patient care.
Result & Outcome :
SABS has facilitated over 61,000 patients for P1 and P2 ambulance bookings. All P1 and P2 cases were consolidated via SABS for queuing and ambulance assignment, and the AI Conference Call enhanced instant communication with FSCC for ambulance booking. The average waiting time for P2 cases was shortened to 2 hours and 20 minutes. The grouping for P2 cases consolidated over 3,550 patients for about 1,670 grouped ambulance journeys, which saved more than 1,870 ambulance journeys and optimised resource utilisation. Overall, SABS effectively establishes a comprehensive data platform, streamlines ambulance bookings, improves clinical handover through standardised documentation, and minimises repetitive calls that allow more manpower to focus on patient care and safety.
