Publications by authors named "H Tohira"
Introduction: Outdoor activities offer physical and mental health benefits. However, incidents can occur requiring ambulance transport to hospital. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and severity of traumatic and medical incidents for mountain bikers and hikers transported by ambulance within Western Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The risk of falls increases with age and often requires an emergency medical service (EMS) response. We compared the characteristics of patients attended by EMS in response to repeat falls within 30 days and 12 months of their first EMS-attended fall; and explored the number of days between the index fall and the subsequent fall(s).
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all adults (> =18 years of age) who experienced their first EMS-attended fall between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020, followed up until 31 December 2021.
Purpose: To explore paramedics' experiences and perspectives about attending and managing older adults who had fallen.
Procedures: This qualitative, exploratory study used a purposive sample of paramedics in Western Australia. Participants had at least one year of clinical experience.
Objective: To describe the types of analgesic medications administered to patients who were attended by ambulance on recreational trails while mountain biking or hiking and report on the reduction in pain by these agents.
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients attended by ambulance (2015-2021) after mountain biking or hiking, on Western Australia (WA) trails. All data were extracted from electronic patient care records created by ambulance personnel who attended the patient.
Article Synopsis
- EMS in Western Australia are responding to a growing number of adult falls, with a total of 188,720 patients attended between 2015 and 2021, predominantly elderly females (median age 80).
- The incidence rate of falls increased from 115 to 161 cases per 100,000 person-years during the study period, with nearly half of patients recorded as having injuries such as lacerations and fractures.
- Factors influencing the level of urgency in transport to hospitals highlight that older females are more likely to be transported at lower urgency levels, indicating a need for tailored EMS responses as the increase in falls continues to strain resources.