tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Am J Emerg Med
. 2020 Jun 26;S0735-6757(20)30527-1.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.06.039. Online ahead of print.
Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic - An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak
Eli Jaffe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Roman Sonkin[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Refael Strugo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Erik Zerath[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
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.
Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Emergency medical services; Epidemics; Infectious diseases; Pandemics.
. 2020 Jun 26;S0735-6757(20)30527-1.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.06.039. Online ahead of print.
Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic - An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak
Eli Jaffe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Roman Sonkin[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Refael Strugo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Erik Zerath[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33008702
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.06.039
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.
Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Emergency medical services; Epidemics; Infectious diseases; Pandemics.