Trends of pre-hospital emergency medical services activity over 10 years: a population-based registry analysis

Abstract

BackgroundThe number of requests to pre-hospital emergency medical services (PEMS) has increased in Europe over the last 20 years, but epidemiology of PEMS interventions has little be investigated. The aim of this analysis was to describe time trends of PEMS activity in a region of western Switzerland.MethodsUse of data routinely and prospectively collected for PEMS intervention in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2010. This Swiss Canton comprises approximately 10% of the whole Swiss population.ResultsWe observed a 40% increase in the number of requests to PEMS between 2001 and 2010. The overall rate of requests was 35/1000 inhabitants for ambulance services and 10/1000 for medical interventions (SMUR), with the highest rate among people aged ≥ 80. Most frequent reasons for the intervention were related to medical problems, predominantly unconsciousness, chest pain respiratory distress, or cardiac arrest, whereas severe trauma interventions decreased over time. Overall, 89% were alive after 48 h. The survival rate after 48 h increased regularly for cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction.ConclusionRoutine prospective data collection of prehospital emergency interventions and monitoring of activity was feasible over time. The results we found add to the understanding of determinants of PEMS use and need to be considered to plan use of emergency health services in the near future. More comprehensive analysis of the quality of services and patient safety supported by indicators are also required, which might help to develop prehospital emergency services and new processes of care.

Prehospital factors associated with an acute life-threatening condition in non-traumatic chest pain patients — A systematic review

“…[6] The incidence of lifethreatening disease among patients who contacted the EMS due to chest pain has been reported to be about 15%, of which almost 80% involved AMI [7]. While the number of patients contacting the EMS due to chest pain is rising, the proportion of patients dialling the national emergency number with chest pain caused by an AMI is falling.…”

Types of injuries that City Institute for Emergency Medicine treats

“…U istraţivanju koje su uradili Pittet V i saradnici se navodi da iako se povećava broj interevencija Hitne pomoći u Evropi, ozbiljne povrede se procentualno smanjuju (10).…”

“…trauma činila 28-29,1% svih intervencija i da su 59,4% intervenicija bile u kućnim uslovima (10). U našem istraţivanju trauma čini mnogo manji procenat to jest 7,8% ukupno intervencija, iako je i u ovom istraţivanju prisutan lekar "urgentaš", a u našim uslovima ili lekar urgentne ili opšte medicine, ili lekari drugih specijalnosti.…”

“…U istraţivanju Pittet V. i saradnika se navodi da je broj zahteva za hitnom pomoći porastao za 40 % bez razlika u godinama, u periodu 2001.-2010. Uopšteno su zahtevi bili 35/1000 stanovnika a najveća rata je bila kod osoba od 80 godina i više, ali da intervencije zbog ozbiljnog povreĎivanja opadaju tokom vremena (10).…”

Aligning ambulance dispatch priority to patient acuity: A methodology

“…Internationally, calls to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have increased in recent years. Possible drivers for this include population ageing and reduced access to primary care services . EMS attendance to patients with low‐acuity illnesses can utilise finite resources and reduce availability, potentially increasing response times to time‐critical patients.…”