Does ambulance use differ between geographic areas? A survey of ambulance use in sparsely and densely populated areas
A lower use of emergency department health care services by rural residents as compared with urban residents has previously been described. This Swedish study examined the use of ambulance services in relation to geography, showing that patients from sparsely populated areas were sicker. required more treatment, and were assessed as not needing prehospital care less than half as often as their urban counterparts (16% vs 39%). Take home message is that population density is related to inappropriate use of ambulance services.
Am J Emerg Med. 2009 Feb;27(2):202-11
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19371529