Okuzeka
Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Ambulance and Prehospital Care

Response time

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, response time means: The time between an emergency call and the arrival of the first ambulance or responder at the scene.

In Turkish: müdahale süresi, olay yerine ulaşma süresi, yanıt süresi

How it is used

A key performance measure for ambulance services, often reported as an average or a 90th percentile against national targets. Services start the clock at different points, so figures are not always comparable. It is a frequent topic in news reports and budget debates.

Example sentences

  1. Our average response time in rural areas is far too long.

  2. The response time to the cardiac arrest was six minutes.

Common collocations

  • average response time
  • response time target
  • improve response times
  • meet response times
  • ambulanceA vehicle with medical equipment and trained staff that treats sick or injured people at the scene and on the way to hospital, and takes them there.
  • dispatcherA person in an emergency call centre who answers calls, decides what help is needed and sends ambulances or other services.
  • EMSShort for emergency medical services: the system of ambulances, staff and call centres that gives urgent medical care outside hospital.
  • golden hourThe period, traditionally about one hour, after a serious injury during which fast treatment is believed to give the best chance of survival.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Ambulance and Prehospital Care

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.