To test the hypothesis that time series analysis can provide accurate
predictions of future ambulance service run volume, a prospective
stochastic time series modeling study was conducted at a communitybased
regional ambulance service. For all requests for ambulance
transport during two sequential years, the time and date, total run time,
and acuity code of the run were recorded in a computer database. Time
series variables were formed for ambulance service runs per hour, total
run time, and acuity. Prediction models were developed from one
complete year's data (1994) and included four model types: raw observations,
moving average, means with moving average smoothing, and
autoregressive integrated moving average. Forecasts from each model
were tested against observations from the first 24 weeks of the subsequent
year (1995). Each model's adequacy was tested on residuals by
autocorrelation functions, integrated periodograms, linear regression,
and differences among the variances. A total of 68,433 patients were seen
in 1994 and 32,783 in the first 24 weeks of 1995. Large periodic variations
in run volume with time of day were found (P < .001). A model based on
arithmetic means of each hour of the week with 3-point moving average
smoothing yielded the most accurate forecasts and explained 54.3% of
the variation observed in the 1995 test series (P < .001). Time series
analysis can provide powerful, accurate short-range forecasts of future
ambulance service run volume. Simpler, less expensive models performed
best in this study.