Improving the dispatch of Australia's first stroke ambulance

Summary The project will involve the analysis of real-world data from the Melbourne Mobile Stroke Unit, Australia's first stroke treatment ambulance, to improve the dispatch of this service.

Project Details

The Melbourne Mobile Stroke Unit is a stroke treatment capable ambulance with onboard CT scanner and specialised multidisciplinary stroke team. The service travels to patients in the community and performs instant assessment, scanning, treatment and triage. This is the first service of its kind in Australia and just one of a handful around the world. 

The service relies on accurate dispatch from Ambulance Victoria as it covers a large area of central Melbourne. Poor accuracy results in ineffective resource utilisation and diverts the vehicle from patients who will directly benefit. This project therefore aims to understand historic dispatch patterns and accuracy in relation to reperfusion therapy with a view to building an improved dispatch framework.

Students will utilise data from the mobile stroke unit database in addition to linked data from Ambulance Victoria to quantitively analyse dispatch of the ambulance since operation in late 2017. The data will be then linked to on-site diagnosis and eligibility for treatment to set the foundations for a new dispatch framework. Students will be expected to present results to the RMH Melbourne Brain Centre and may wish to publish results in a journal.