With the emanation of the Presidential Decree of 27 March 1992, Territorial Health Emergency has been transformed from a “service” (simply sending the ambulance to the place of the event and transporting the patient to the nearest emergency room) to a real “Emergency System 118“. It manages the alarm and territorial response phases to the emergency-urgency in all the Regions and Autonomous Provinces to reduce the Therapy Free Interval.
118 Medical Dispatch Center, active 24 hours a day and equipped with a call recording system, coordinates the interventions in the reference area and activates the hospital response 24 hours a day. It manage health alarm period: the “Dispatch and Triage System” defines the degree of complexity of the intervention starting from the reception of the call and pre-arrival instructions (IPA) up to the arrival of the rescuers at the place of the event.
It coordinates the territorial rescue system consisting of basic rescue vehicles (MSB), advanced rescue vehicles (MSA), air ambulances (HEMS) distributed throughout the territory. Ensures the patient is transported to the most suitable hospital for the management of the disease (PDTA). Send by shared procedures and protocols, the appropriate emergency vehicle by type of intervention:
x Illness (acute event, chronic exacerbation)
x Traumatic event
x Big event
x Maxi-Emergency or Catastrophe
x Humanitarian Emergency Assistance
Territorial Rescue System is distributed in the Territorial Stations (MSB, MSA, HEMS) and ensures the response phase to the health needs of citizens.
European Emergency Number (NUE) 112
In many Italian regions the “European emergency number 112” (NUE 112) service is active for the management of emergency calls. The decision to establish NUE 112 dates back to 1991 (Council Decision – 91/396 / EEC, Official Journal n. L 217 of 06/08/1991); this calling system allows the management of all emergency calls of 112 (Carabinieri), 113 (Police), 115 (Fire Brigade) and 118 (Medical Aid) to be conveyed to a Single Response Center – CUR, with the aim of making the emergency-urgency management system more efficient with a coordinated and adequate response to any situation of need with the same speed of response.