A cross-sectional study based on a self-administered questionnaire was performed in 2007/2008, with the objective of describing sociodemographic, professional, and operating variables of the various professional categories involved in the Mobile Emergency Care Service, and the perception of the compliance of the service offered with the guidelines of the National Emergency Care Policy. All 89 participants indicated deficient physical structure (60.7%); shortage of materials (82.0%); unskilled human resources (37.1%); poor conservation conditions and insufficient number of ambulances (67.4%); 98.9% admitted the existence of integration with other services, with some statistical differences among professional categories (p = 0.037). Outsourcing prevailed among 71.4% of physicians and 84.2% of nurses (p < 0.001). Specific capacity building was confirmed by 79.8%, and update by 88.8% of professionals. Total average response time was 29 minutes (SD ± 14.8), and 65.2% acknowledged knowing the policy. This study showed that pre-hospital care services have structural and planning problems, among which poor working conditions and fragile ties stand out.
Pre-hospital Care; Pre-hospital Care Services; Emergencies; Public Health Policies
