Dispelling the remoteness myth- a geospatial analysis of where out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are occurring in Western Australia.

Background: Rurality has been shown to have a strong effect on survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), with survival in rural areas approximately half that of metropolitan areas. Western Australia provides a unique landscape to understand the impact of rurality, with 2.6 million people spread across 2.

The reality of rurality: Understanding the impact of remoteness on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Western Australia - A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Western Australia (WA) spans a large, sparsely-populated area of Australia, presenting a challenge for the provision of Emergency Medical Service (EMS), particularly for time-critical emergencies such as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Objective: To assess the impact of rurality on the epidemiology, incidence and survival of OHCA in WA.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of EMS-attended OHCA in WA from 2015 to 2022.

The incidence and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in metropolitan versus rural locations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/aims: Rurality poses a unique challenge to the management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) when compared to metropolitan (metro) locations. We conducted a systematic review of published literature to understand how OHCA incidence, management and survival outcomes vary between metro and rural areas.

Methods: We included studies comparing the incidence or survival of ambulance attended OHCA in metropolitan and rural areas, from a search of five databases from inception until 9th March 2022.