Prehospital COVID-19-Related Encounters Predict Future Hospital Utilization.

Objective: Identify if prehospital patient encounters can predict SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) related hospital utilization.

Methods: EMS data from COVID-19-related prehospital encounters was pulled from NEMSIS systems in Minnesota. This data was plotted against hospital general medical-surgical bed and ICU bed usage during the initial COVID-19 surge and again during a second surge.

Severity of diagnosis among patients with chest pain presenting to the emergency department after calling a nurse line.

Background And Objectives: A Nurse Line (NL) is a resource that is commonly used by patients and hospitals to assist in the triage of patient medical complaints. We sought to determine whether patients with chief complaint of chest pain who presented to the ED after calling a NL were different from patients who presented directly to the ED. The primary aim was to test for differences in the severity of the causes of chest pain between the two groups.