Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Profile of Patients in SAMU-Asturias EMS (Spain): A Two-Year Retrospective Analysis of Advanced Life Support Unit Data

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had important consequences on the health system. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were a key element in the response and were forced to modify their daily procedures. The main objective of this study was to find out if there were differences in response times and in the profile of patients treated by the Advanced Life Support (ALS) units of Servicio de Asistencia Médica Urgente (SAMU)-Asturias, the EMS of the Principality of Asturias, between the pre-pandemic period and the pandemic period. Methodology: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, observational, and retrospective study that included all patients treated by SAMU-Asturias ALS from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020. Results: The pandemic has had an impact on daily activity of SAMU-Asturias, with a 9.2% decrease in daily ALS services during the pandemic, longer prehospital times during the pandemic period (mean = 54’35”; SD = 0’48”; P = 0.00) mainly due to an increase in scene time (mean = 28’01”; SD = 12’57”; P = 0.00), and a slight increase in the average age of patients during the pandemic in relation to the pre-pandemic period. No differences were found between the types of incidents for ALS or between the resolution of the patients. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic mainly affects prehospital times in an emergency service, with no differences being observed in types of incidents; in EMS future pandemic planning, this should be taken into consideration.

Exploring Disparities in Self-Reported Mental Health Symptoms Across Professional Categories in Spain’s Emergency Medical Services: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

“…Analyzing the percentage of EMS workers classified as severe or extremely severe, no significant differences were observed between physicians and nurses (26.3% vs 26.4; P = 0.972), but significant differences were observed between physicians and (8)(9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), and extremely severe score in the Anxiety subscale of the DASS-21. 30…”

“…Figure 2. Percentage of overall participants (A, n = 1666), physicians (B, n = 453), nurses (C, n = 474), and EMTs (D, n = 739) showing normal (0-7), mild(8)(9), moderate(10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), and extremely severe score in the Anxiety subscale of the DASS-21 30,31. …”

“…14 Moreover, the initial challenges faced by health-care systems in managing the high mortality rate and rapid transmission of COVID-19 have further exacerbated the psychological strain on HCWs. 15,16 It is expected that these effects will persist over time. 17 Therefore, understanding the mental health status of HCWs, especially those in out-of-hospital EMS, is crucial for implementing targeted interventions and improving psychological resilience within health-care systems.EMS is defined as a comprehensive system that provides timely out-of-hospital care to critically ill victims of sudden and life-threatening injuries to prevent needless mortality or long-term morbidity and disability.…”

“…Figure 1. Percentage of overall participants (A, n = 1666), physicians (B, n = 453), nurses (C, n = 474), and EMTs (D, n = 739) showing normal (0-9), mild (10-13), moderate(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20), severe(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27), and extremely severe(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42) score in the Depression subscale of the DASS-21 30,31. …”