Background: In-flight medical care has been studied for many years. In an effort to evaluate in-flight medical care delivery on U.S. airlines, this study includes a detailed correlation between in-flight medical care, patient response, and postflight follow-up.
Methods: A survey of five U.S. domestic air carriers from October 1, 1996 to September 30, 1997 showed 1132 in-flight medical incidents. These airlines accounted for approximately 22% of scheduled U.S. domestic enplanements during the period.
Results: Results indicate that there was good overall agreement between in-flight and postflight diagnoses (79% of cases), and passenger condition improved in a majority of cases (60%).
Conclusions: The results suggest that in-flight diagnoses were generally accurate and treatment appropriate.