When a baby has a stiff neck and a high fever, or an elderly person starts slurring their words without being under the influence of alcohol, it's time to call an ambulance — but not many people know this, a new study says.
These signs of meningitis and of stroke are worthy of a lights-flashing, sirens-blaring trip to the hospital, but 53 percent of Britons responding to a survey said there was no need to call emergency transport for the meningitis scenario and only 25 percent would call an ambulance for the stroke.
On the other hand, almost 50 percent thought a woman in labor deserved such a ride to the hospital — just one of many scenarios found to be illustrative of inappropriate use of ambulances, Helen Kirkby, BS, and Dr. Lesley Roberts, of the University of Birmingham in England, reported online in the Emergency Medicine Journal.
"Most people would call for an ambulance appropriately when a real emergency occurred, but there are high levels of inappropriate calls when emergencies are not present," they wrote.
Those also include a toddler bumping its head, a child with Lego blocks stuffed up the nose, or a drunk friend who is conscious but ill.
