Busan's new acute-poisoning emergency system cuts hospital selection time nearly in half

Busan city government announced Friday that first-half results for a first-of-its-kind emergency care program show significant improvements in hospital selection times and out-of-region patient transfers, even as the number of acute-poisoning emergency cases has risen.

The program, coordinated by the city and the Busan Emergency Medical Support Group, brings together the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and 12 emergency medical institutions to route patients to the most appropriate facility based on severity — the first sequential emergency care system of its kind in the country.

According to the city, 837 acute-poisoning emergency patients — 453 classified as severe and 384 as mild — were transported to medical institutions through the sequential care system and received appropriate treatment between January and June this year.

The average hospital selection time fell from 29.1 minutes before the program's launch to 15.8 minutes afterward, a reduction of 13.3 minutes, or about 46 percent. The city said the result demonstrates the system's effectiveness in securing the critical window for emergency treatment.

The rate of patients transferred outside Busan dropped sharply as well, from 21.7 percent before the program to 0.6 percent after, meaning the vast majority of acute-poisoning emergency patients are now treated at facilities within the city. The city credited the program with structurally addressing the so-called "emergency room runaround" — a phenomenon in which patients wait for extended periods or are shuttled between multiple facilities before receiving care.

The city is also working to establish a post-treatment follow-up system linked to mental health and welfare centers, noting that more than 60 percent of acute-poisoning emergency patients are suicide attempt cases.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.

"Even as the number of acute-poisoning emergency patients has increased, we were able to dramatically cut hospital selection times and ensure that most patients receive treatment within Busan — and that is a result built together by emergency medical institutions, the fire department and mental health and welfare centers," said Jo Gyu-yul, the city's director of public health. "We will continue to refine the emergency patient transport system based on data, building an emergency medical framework that allows residents to receive prompt and safe care even in crisis situations."