Prachi Sanghavi

For all the debate swirling around the American health care system in recent years, there has been very little discussion about what happens before patients arrive at the hospital. Yet unsurprisingly, the decisions that ambulance providers make in the initial moments after responding to a 911 call have vast implications for a patient’s chances of survival.

Treating patients in the pre-hospital setting involves inherent tradeoffs between using advanced interventions onsite and rapid transport to definitive care at a hospital. While some ambulances provide only basic care and move the patient quickly to an emergency room, others utilize more invasive methods first, such as endotracheal intubation for airway support.

And while the choice between basic and advanced life support, as they are called, can make the difference between life and death, the difference isn’t always what you’d expect. This is the focus of Prachi Sanghavi’s research today.

As Sanghavi explains, variations in pre-hospital care are often driven by financial and political considerations. “We have created a false impression that the name ‘advanced’ necessarily means ‘better’” Sanghavi says. “In reality, the choice of advanced over basic life support has not been based on scientific evidence.”

Sanghavi’s work aims to change that. “I want to empower the public with information.”