Efficacy of a new doctor dispatch system for traffic accidents with advanced automatic collision notification technology: A report of the first 4 cases

IntroductionTo increase survival rates among patients with severe trauma from road traffic accidents, Japan launched the D-Call Net (DCN) system for dispatching doctors by helicopter utilizing Advanced Automatic Collision Notification technology in November 2015. As of October 2019, DCN has dispatched doctors 4 times.CasesCase 1: Canceled because trauma was mild. Case 2: Doctor made contact with 2 patients with moderate trauma 29 min earlier than would have occurred conventionally. This was the first case of doctor dispatch and patient treatment based on automotive engineering information worldwide. Case 3: An accident involving 3 severely injured patients activated DCN, enabling doctor-patient contact 20 min earlier than would have been possible conventionally. Case 4: DCN was utilized ineffectively.DiscussionAccording to 2008 data from Chiba Prefecture, in accidents where victims sustained severe trauma, the time from accidence occurrence to hospital arrival was 67 min, even with doctor dispatch by air ambulance ("Doctor-Heli" [DH]). Accident information for faster doctor dispatch effectively improved survival rates. An algorithm was developed to assess trauma severity (severity probability) based on accident information. DCN dispatches doctors based on information, including accident site and severity probability, that is sent to smartphones of doctors, reducing the time from accident to DH request by approximately 17 min.DCN is the world's first system for faster doctor dispatch to traffic accident sites based on automotive engineering information. It is crucial for improving survival rates and mitigating aftereffects.