1. Introduction
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; The ambulance is the core of an emergency medical services (EMS) system, which provides complete medical care outside of a traditional hospital emergency department. Ambulance service has become a key element of emergency care. The performance of ambulances equipped with the ability to be a mobile emergency room continues to make a vital contribution to delivering immediate care available to patients. Services can manage the patient’s entire pre-hospital episode effectively and safely, ensuring that they arrive safely at the end of the care path in appropriate secondary care settings.
The Ford Transit is a one-box emergency response vehicle designed to be lightweight and easy to maintain. Changes were made to the front of the vehicle and the styling of the rear. The top half of the rear doors was replaced with a full-height window, and during 2005, the whole of the lower half of the rear doors was replaced with a full-height window, improving visibility for reversing the vehicle. The Ford Transit finesse ambulance incorporates numerous features that enhance accessibility and storage. Importantly, it is designed on a standard chassis and can be used as an alternative to estate cars and small ambulances to transfer patients and emergency response. The development of the Ford Transit ambulance aims to optimize patient care equipment, vehicle ergonomics, changes in the medical equipment storage areas, and the general layout of the patient compartment. The vehicle has a patient compartment that is accessible for wheeled transport and storage capable of sufficient space to accommodate vital and therapeutic equipment. The vehicle provides potential for rapid provision of medical care and clinical interventions. The vehicle also has sufficient room in the rear to provide life-saving care. The new vehicle design addresses both the new service requirements and the need for service improvement to ensure that we provide the best quality accessible patient service. To aid patient care and vehicle transfer of patients, it provides the highest level of infection control and cleanliness, reducing the number of vehicles required to carry medical equipment and drugs on patient transport journeys and fund the overall modernization of the fleet. The proposed ambulances aim to provide the organization with a state-of-the-art vehicle for inter-hospital transfers that can cope with single or double stretchers.
This vehicle should be more maneuverable in tight hospital and domestic settings and carries a patient, a driver, and a patient transporter attendant. This vehicle involves less actual lifting than that of the traditional A&E ambulance, as the trolley will not leave the wheeled docking system. The vehicle should be used for single patient hospital transportation. It has an independent air conditioning system for the driver and patient transporter. Over time, changes in technology mean that an ambulance is a completely different vehicle and has distanced itself from a standard vehicle to becoming a hospital and trauma unit on wheels, with capabilities such as modern-day intensive care and emergency department in a mobile hospital. Members of staff on duty on board are generally paramedics and have proven skills and training in patient care, trauma, and emergency medicine. The ambulance vehicle is used for emergency and non-emergency appointments and may attend to accident victims, people who are suddenly taken ill, the transport and uplift of deceased persons, and pregnant mothers with problems in pregnancy, and if a birth should start. The design and function of ambulances have progressed in line with advances in vehicle production design, patient management, improvements in infection control, and changes to the needs of the service. With advances in vehicle design, the ways patients’ needs and vehicle configuration change. It became apparent with the change of modern vehicle design moving away from wooden, glass, and metal vehicles that the vehicles were needing quality padding and patient comfort features that included the inclusion of airflow exchange for good health and welfare.
1.1. Background and Importance of Ambulance Equipment – Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
1.1 Background on ambulances and their equipment
Emergency medical services (EMS) have come a long way in the past decades. Technological developments, such as the introduction of Automated External Defibrillators and faster medical analysis systems, ensure that patients in acute medical need receive care more quickly. Advancements in transport techniques have also contributed greatly to improved patient care. The introduction of lightweight stretchers has made it possible to get heavier patients more easily and safely out of a home situation. This ensures that these patients also receive the required care faster.
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; Well-equipped ambulances also contribute to further improvement of patient outcomes. The equipment required in an ambulance is aimed at being able to provide care for various types of diseases and/or complaints. This allows us to rapidly and efficiently treat the patient or patients encountered at the scene. The government has also laid down legal requirements and prospective guidelines with regard to the design of ambulances. In the period 1997–2000, a new type of ambulance was developed. Emphasis was placed on a more modern look. This design prioritized a more functional and ergonomically responsible patient compartment in order to create greater comfort and control options. This design ensures more space for resuscitation and surgical interventions and focuses more on the driving side. As a result, the patient – particularly in a shock-supine position – is better protected during transportation. Some elements of the cyclorammers were slightly bigger to meet new requirements for medical-technical supplies. The cyclorammers on either side of the vehicle have four doors and are aimed at providing room for the paramedics to work. More changes were made to the vehicle driving cabin. The purpose was to adopt striking visual recognition points from the front and sides as part of the distinctive vehicle for the emergency department. There are now striking headlamps with sharper lines, clear headlights, and a sleek shape.
2. Ford Transit Vehicle – Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; The Ford Transit vehicle is a strong contender for anyone looking to turn a vehicle into an ambulance. It is designed to deliver greater capability, ease of management, more efficiency, and additional technology. The hunk of a truck can boast a 14,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating (also referred to as GVWR). This means that the amount of weight that it can carry (meaning payload) is 14,000 pounds. The Ford Transit vehicle comes in different sizes. It is sold as a cargo van, a window van, a chassis cab, and a cutaway with a variety of wheelbase lengths to suit the needs of every consumer, assuming they are willing to wear the Ford badge. It boasts a trio of V6 engines, each one coming with the same 10-speed automatic transmission.
There are a variety of big tires for the Ford Transit vehicle model, incorporating the standard 16-inch steel wheels or available 16-inch bright-machined aluminum wheels for SRW models and 17-inch polished aluminum wheels for dual-rear-wheel DRW models. While the durable hard plastic 12.0-inch electric power assist type steering wheel will come standard on all models, available premium cloth seats, as well as an available driver-assist technology system, can help to increase the level of overall interior comfort. With a maximum payload capacity of approximately 4,600 pounds, the Ford Transit vehicle is quite a bit lighter and slightly smaller than the Ford F-250, which is limited to a payload capacity of 4,200 to 4,480 pounds. The Ford Transit vehicle comes standard with a 7.3-L V8 engine or a 3.5-L PowerBoost V6 engine hybrid unit. Its engine power or engine capability is 202.0 hp. The Ford Transit vehicle is built for heavy-duty use. This truck has a number of features such as towing capabilities, passenger seating, and various weight load options. Although the vehicle is built to transport more than 14 passengers, it can also be modified for use as an ambulance. When operating critical emergencies, passenger safety is a top concern. Despite this, they contend that the vehicle is safe and competitive in the market, despite the fact that the platform it is built on has not received any official safety ratings. The car is comfortable to drive and can keep up with traffic on the interstate. The platform is also versatile and can be customized to a hospital’s needs. Furthermore, the car’s heavy-duty chassis, heavy-duty lower fascia, substantial load floor, and even windowless configurations keep passengers’ safety and privacy in mind.
2.1. Overview and Specifications – Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
All new Ford Transits for sale are further modified for the purpose of being an ambulance. The raised roof, lifted suspension, and more make the aforementioned specifications’ height, wheelbase, turning radius, and approach angles irrelevant for the purpose of an ambulance, but the basics for cargo space, gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), and engine (power and torque) remain unchanged. As for measurables that affect an ambulance, the specifications for new Ford Transits are:
– Cargo space: made available along with the raised roof as either 492 cubic feet, 594 cubic feet, and 628 cubic feet – Payload capacity: up to 7,585 pounds – Power: up to 362 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque – Fuel economy: 6.9 miles per gallon in the city and 10 miles per gallon on the highway – Maximum towing capacity: 4,263 kilograms – Service cost: about $1,000
The raised roof makes usable the cargo-carrying space above the cabin. With either raised roof option, the Transit can be used as an emergency ambulance able to stand interior. The dimensions afforded by the raised roof design choice limit the number of passengers who can be transported safely. A single rear-facing, forward-seating row with two or four seats will accommodate two or four EMTs. By adding a walk-through med supply passageway aft of the cab that keeps the necessary medical supplies at hand, the van will seat just one EMT. The manufacturer presently specifies that as-empty curb weight and as-serviced curb weight in kilograms are not available.
The Ford Transit has additional features that make it safe for emergency use. The optional rear-view camera is standard. The van also includes four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and power-assisted steering. It is reinforced with aluminum in the passenger areas and has side curtain airbags in the first three rows. Finally, a bi-directional siren is installed on this cab and chassis.
3. Ambulance Conversion Process Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit, one of the standard Ford Transit vehicles is chosen for conversion because they have been certified, are really well maintained, and are of high quality from the manufacturer. The Transit is the only choice because it is the only vehicle that can fit a person of average height in Europe. The conversion process begins when the vehicle has been stripped to the bare metal. The body and wheel housing are constructed from steel sheets. After the assembly of the metallic structure, the external side walls, side doors, roof, front and rear bonnets, and rear doors are covered with fiber-reinforced composite made of polyester.
The vehicle is planned and designed by medical teams from Intensive Therapy Units, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Mobile Units. The vehicles must serve the needs of different institutes, such as orthopedics, urology, psychology, audiology, and others. Before construction, it is important to determine the range of equipment, number of cabinets, arrangement, and their presence and position. The vehicles are usually equipped according to the needs of medical teams on call but in accordance with local standardization. In the next steps, the overhead cabinets with lighting, clothes hangers, and handrails are fixed to the ceiling. Each cabinet has its unique position because different medical teams want different layouts.
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit, Materials and Technologies: The backside of the metallic structure and wheel housing is coated with thixotropic material. The flooring is constructed using a sandwich procedure: three layers of plywood and aluminum composite panel and other commercially available products. After conversion, tests are carried out. The vehicles comply with local and supra-national road safety rules and regulations. The vehicles exceed the European standard crashworthiness tests and the norm of polycentric impacts. Our vehicles are suitable for occupancy of up to 30 persons and passengers but are used to transport patients, and the type of medical care provided to those patients ranges from requiring no treatment to requiring critical care. The turnover time depends on transport pressure and ranges from several minutes to about one hour.
3.1. Design and Layout Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
The layout of an ambulance is subject to many spatial constraints. The internal layout should meet the requirements of basic medical emergency service and transport patients in a sitting or lying position. Patient compartment equipment and furniture layout are influenced by architectural, constructive, and ergonomic settings. The term ergonomic is related to the user. This can be adapted to potential patients, those who are likely to be placed in the ambulance, as well as all those who will provide health care within the ambulance. Individual functional activities and manual patient handling activities within the ambulance are still being performed in a space-restricted multidisciplinary practice environment. Various equipment needs to be easily accessible by a health care team to initiate and sustain the transport of a patient within the ambulance.
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; Ambulances typically respond to traffic accident scenes, a function that needs to complement other passenger and goods-carrying duties. The ambulance must be able to cope with stressors if it travels at higher than normal road speeds. For example, vertical vibrations have been measured in a typical emergency transport. When flexibility in the configuration of the environment becomes the initial point for design, there is no apparent need for rectilinear spaces or standardized solutions, and containers become basic prototypes for the layout of equipment for medical service. The design of the ambulance’s personality and interior can be a vector of resources, helping the public interest. Functionality most simply restates requirements, often with reference to three points: joining, health and safety, and durability. This viewpoint of operational efficiency tends to accentuate an armchair strategy; failure isolates when what is required is excellence in the in-flight experience.
4. Key Equipment Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; An ambulance is essentially a mini-hospital and should be prepared to handle almost any medical emergency. Some of the medical supplies that can be found in an ambulance are the same as in a hospital ER department, such as stethoscopes, portable suction units, portable EKG machines, and pulse oximeters. Several of the most important categories of medical equipment and supplies you will find on any typical ambulance are: equipment for basic life support such as AEDs, splints, oxygen administration equipment, backboards, and more; equipment for advanced life support such as IVs and medications, manual defibrillators, advanced airway devices, and more; disposable and non-disposable diagnostic and laboratory devices; life support systems both mechanical, such as a portable ventilator, and electronic devices, such as a cardiac monitor; and devices that allow the crew to transport the patient and themselves safely, such as the ambulance cot, stair chair, and body straps. Ambulances also help medical professionals use their skills to help save the patient once they reach the hospital. This is possible only if the equipment is readily available, organized, and easy to find. Missing supplies or the inability to find what is needed quickly can lead to delays in care that might cause the most harm to befall the patient. Some controlled substances, such as strong painkillers, are specifically hidden from easier view out of concern that they might walk away onboard the ambulance. Around the world, those things that are in that ambulance are basically the same. Just like cellphones and other portable devices are getting more powerful and able to do more things for less cost and size, portable medical technology is, while nothing short of miraculous, becoming more affordable, smaller, and lighter every year.
4.1. Medical Supplies and Equipment Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; Medical supplies and equipment are essential in the provision of ambulance services. Supplies that should be loaded into an ambulance may include: – Medical kits such as advanced airway, perioperative, and dressing kits. These medical kits should contain a variety of supplies such as forceps for use to hold a swollen tongue away from the throat when providing airway management, and haemostatic dressings as basic supplies. – Drugs/medications such as paracetamol for giving immediate relief of moderately severe to severe pain. Specifically for drug administration, if the driver or retraining nurse is on their own, they have to control the ambulance and therefore must take responsibility for keeping the driver informed of what may be required and to be available to stop the ambulance and help. – Temporary shelters and life safety equipment such as booth tents. Booth tents can be quickly fitted to any type of light vehicle to provide respite when traversing remote desert or arid environments and transport prepared patients. This is particularly important in rural and remote areas which may face long response and retrieval travel times. – IV fluids. From a model practice perspective, items should be accessible to the patient without affecting the operation of the vehicle and personal safety without assistance required. There are critical factors that influence the decision to stock a given ambulance with medical supplies. These factors include the speed of delivery, rates of consumption at the time that they are ordered, any legal or social constraints, the brand and type of product, the frequency of delivery, and general procurement and distribution issues that might face an ambulance service provider. In the field of emergency patient transport, ease of access to medical supplies and the organization of the space often affect delays in the provision of this medical intervention. Having the right medical supplies and sufficient extemporaneous publications can have a major impact on the medical care that may be provided to injured and unwell patients. This includes medications, bandages, infusion fluids and apparatus, food, and oxygen supplementation; all of which are intended to maintain life, treat injuries, and stabilize vital health outcomes until more definitive care can be provided at a hospital. The use of equipment to monitor patient status and progress is also important, and modern services make use of it. Medical equipment should be secured within the ambulance. This enables direct access and minimizes the time required to open storage and retrieve the assets. Training programs and courses are delivered to paramedics to allow them to use this medical equipment in the first place, and this may be as formal as an academic course with certification or it may be managed in-house by an organization’s clinical manager and provide only update or refresher courses. This would depend on the local legislation and regulation. It is essential that paramedics handle medical equipment safely and effectively to ensure safety and quality medical care is delivered. Training also involves the education of paramedics in how and when to maintain and manage medical equipment used in ambulance vehicles.
5. Conclusion Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit
Ambulance Equipped on Ford Transit; Due to the special use of the ambulance, the internal space division, power performance requirements, suspension structure, and riding comfort requirements are higher than those of other commercial trucks, which require various indicators to be qualified for the emergency rescue test. The feasibility and necessity of using the vehicle platform as an ambulance are discussed, and it has a certain reference value for relevant research. In the 3Rs of Emergency Medicine and Injury, the ambulance delivery of the pre-hospital patient may have the greatest scope for improvements and technological advantages in treatments and patient care have an increasing relevance to such outcomes. These are the reasons why retrofits of vehicle platforms into key ambulances—able to deliver safe, dignified and high-quality care to a spectrum of injured and unwell patients—are critical to maintain. Different patient care environments require different ambulance designs, and—while an ambulance is an ’ambulance’—the design of that space on a platform can substantially optimise the vehicle for patient care, and the pre-hospital clinician to work in, in both cases. We need to therefore evolve the research and development on this practical issue by disinhibiting from directly or indirectly defending a vehicle of preference to the exclusion of good patient care and a safe and effective platform for it. Vehicle discussions all too often divert to increasing the design of the road ambulance into mobile ICU style replications nests that are easy to love for compliant staff. Instead of the operational efficiency of the everyday workhorse. The work focused on the 10s with partial support from two major ambulance manufacturers, and future work must expand to more operational data collection as vehicles evolve. Future work is expected to show the influence of some vehicle cage design and procedure refinements on the patient management of those subsequent to crashes and stabbings.
