The patient’s voice has not been present to the same degree as the professional perspective in caring research in a pre-hospital context. In order to further develop and improve pre-hospital care, it is therefore important to explore patients’ situations not only in life threatening but also in non-traumatic situations. This is especially important as these patients might be defined as inappropriate attendees of ambulance services. The aim of this study was to interpret and explain experiences of caring in pre-hospital care situations that are not defined as traumatic or life threatening. Twenty informants aged between 34 and 82 years were interviewed. The design of the study was exploratory, and it used an interpretative approach in order to understand the meaning of pre-hospital caring. The findings show that pre-hospital caring can be understood and explained as a matter of interplay between carer(s) and patient with potentials for positive as well as negative outcomes. Our conclusion is that the initial meeting is of vital importance in how patients experience pre-hospital care. It is suggested that general public information on the development of Swedish pre-hospital care received in turn may facilitate the first encounter between patient and carer(s).

The issue of the inappropriate use of ambulance transport and care has mainly been studied from the professionals’ and caregivers’ perspective, with few studies focusing on the patient and his/her experiences. To further understand whether patients use ambulance care in an inappropriate manner and, if so, why, it is important to obtain an overall picture of the patients’ existential situation at the time they call an ambulance. The aim of this study was to analyse and describe patients’ experiences related to the decision to call an ambulance and the wait for it to arrive. The design was explorative, and twenty informants aged between 34 and 82 years were interviewed. Qualitative content analyses were performed. The findings showed that calling for an ambulance is a major decision that is preceded by hesitation and attempts to handle the situation by oneself. Our conclusion is that the definition of inappropriate use of valuable health care resources should not be based solely on the professionals’ point of view but also take account of the patients’ reactions when they experience a threat to their life and health.