AI Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how a pandemic affects Emergency Medical Services (EMS) by analyzing ambulance calls in Israel during early 2020, specifically related to COVID-19 symptoms.
- - Results showed an increase in calls for COVID-19-related symptoms, while calls for other medical issues, like cardiovascular problems and injuries, decreased during the same time.
- - This information could help EMS improve their preparedness and better address public health needs during future epidemics or pandemics.
Article Abstract
Introduction: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are expected to be affected by a pandemic outbreak. However, the available data about trends and extents of these effects is limited.
Methods: We analyzed numbers of ambulance calls for all 136 diagnosis codes used by Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national EMS during 121 days between January 01 and April 30, 2020.
Results: There was an increase in calls for COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, throat pain). This trend followed the same shape as the curve for confirmed COVID-19 patients. Trends were found to increase for calls not followed by transport to the hospital as well as in calls for mental or psychiatric causes. Simultaneously, there was a decrease in calls for cardiovascular issues, pneumonia, and all injuries.
Conclusion: Understanding these correlations may allow better preparedness of the EMS and a better response towards the public needs in the period of an epidemic or a pandemic.
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Source |
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7318958 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2020.06.039 | DOI Listing |
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