System impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on New York City's emergency medical services

Prezant, David J.; Lancet, Elizabeth A.; Zeig‐Owens, Rachel; Lai, Pamela; Appel, David; Webber, Mayris P.; Braun, James; Hall, Charles B.; Asaeda, Glenn; Kaufman, Bradley J.; Weiden, Michael D.

doi:10.1002/emp2.12301

Cited by 51 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In New York City, planned interventions to prioritize high‐acuity calls resulted in increases in the time from the call assignment to the arrival of the EMS vehicle at the scene by 3 min for severe cases and by 11 min for minor cases. 3 The transport time from the scene to the hospital and the time from the arrival to the hospital to the next dispatch were also extended. In Italy, the time between arriving to the hospital and entering the emergency department was extended in Bergamo and Brescia to 32 and 15 min, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative analysis of the impact of COVID‐19 on the emergency medical services system in Tokyo

Igarashi

Yabuki

Norii

et al. 2021

Acute Medicine & Surgery

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Aim:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed a heavy burden on emergency medical services (EMS) systems. Therefore, we quantitatively analyzed impacts of COVID-19 on the EMS system in Tokyo. Methods:In this retrospective observational study, we used publicly available data, including the daily number of newly diagnosed patients with COVID-19, the weekly number of transport difficulties, and the field activity time, from March 2, 2020, to January 25, 2021. Data for the same period in the previous year were used as controls. Results:The total number of EMS calls decreased by 12.7% in 2020 compared with that in 2019. The number of daily transport difficulties significantly increased in 2020 compared with that in 2019 (89 [72-120] vs 57 [49-63]; P < 0.001). Additionally, the field activity time significantly increased in 2020 compared with that in 2019 (22.7 [22.3-23.8] min vs 20.7 [20.6-21.2] min; P < 0.001). Furthermore, the daily number of new patients with COVID-19 was positively correlated with the number of transport difficulties (R = 0.76) and the field activity time on the scene (R = 0.74). With an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 by 1,000, the number of daily transport difficulties increased by 86.4. Per 1,000 infected patients per day, the field activity time increased by 3.48 min. Conclusion:This study revealed that the increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 indirectly affected the EMS system in Tokyo.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative analysis of the impact of COVID‐19 on the emergency medical services system in Tokyo

Igarashi

Yabuki

Norii

et al. 2021

Acute Medicine & Surgery

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“…Respiratory distress related EMS calls increased during the early pandemic period ( 31 ). Our study adds to the existing literature by examining respiratory distress related EMS calls by race and ethnicity during the early pandemic period, January to June 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency Medical Service Use Among Latinos Aged 50 and Older in California Counties, Except Los Angeles, During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period

Melgoza

Beltrán‐Sánchez

Bustamante

2021

Front. Public Health

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Latino adults aged 50 and older in California. Among adults aged 50–64, Latinos constitute approximately one-third (32%) of the population, but over half (52%) of COVID-19 cases, and more than two-thirds (64%) of COVID-related deaths as of June 2, 2021. These health disparities are also prevalent among Latinos 65 years and older who constitute 22% of the population, but 40% of confirmed COVID-19 cases and 50% of COVID-related deaths. Emergency medical services (EMS) are an essential component of the United States healthcare system and a vital sector in COVID-19 response efforts. Using data from the California Emergency Medical Services Information System (CEMSIS), this study examines racial and ethnic differences in respiratory distress related EMS calls among adults aged 50 and older in all counties except Los Angeles. This study compares the early pandemic period, January to June 2020, to the same time period in 2019. Between January and June 2019, Latinos aged 50 and older had statistically significantly lower odds of respiratory distress related EMS calls compared to Blacks, Asians, and Whites. During the early pandemic period, January to June 2020, Latinos aged 50 and older had statistically significantly lower odds of respiratory distress related EMS calls compared to Blacks but slightly higher odds compared to Whites. Differences by race/ethnicity and region were statistically significant. Understanding EMS health disparities is crucial to inform policies that create a more equitable prehospital care system for the heterogeneous population of middle aged and older adults.

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“…This was considered a panic phase because earlier outbreaks in the area had very little or close to zero infected patients, making the response to such situations different. In many countries, there is a significant increase in the use of EMS services, including phone calls, consultation, and an increasing number of operations [4], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]. However, in the areas studied, the amount of service usage dropped significantly with an average of 1-2 EMS operations per day as people were not willing to risk infection and stayed at home.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, studies have shown that the panic of infection among EMS personnel has increased, which is associated with increased risk of transmission to their family members [9]. In Israel, 8.51% of emergency calls were COVID-19 related, resulting in more than 4 times the typical use of emergency hotlines [10] similar to New York City [11] and Saudi Arabia [12]. A study in Japan found that the effects of this required hospitals allow for reduced delivery or increased coordination time in EMS [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency Medical Services amid New Wave of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in Khon Kaen, Thailand

Apiratwarakul

Suzuki

Çelebi

et al. 2021

Open Access Maced J Med Sci

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BACKGROUND: COVID-19 outbreaks occurring in many countries around the world have had a significant impact on emergency medical services (EMS) in terms of the number of operations and procedures performed, including those on ambulances. However, the number of EMS amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Khon Kaen, Thailand has not been well studied. AIM: The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the relationship between the use of EMS and the outbreak of COVID-19. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand with a single EMS centered. Data was collected between March 27, 2021 and April 9, 2021 and designated as (Day-7 to Day 7 of pandemic services) as well as normal services which collected data between March 27 and April 9, 2019 (Day-7 to Day 7 of normal services). RESULTS: Three hundred eight EMS operations were examined. A total of 77.9% (n = 95) of pandemic services were for males and the mean age of the patients was 32.1 ± 5.4 years. During the normal services in 2019, the average number of EMS operations was 13.3 ± 2.4 times per day over the two weeks of the study. In 2021, before the outbreak (Day-7 to Day 1), the average number of EMS operations was 13.2 ± 1.8 times/day. After Day 1, there was a drop in the number of EMS operations which was associated with an increase in COVID-19 infections (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The number of EMS users during the COVID-19 outbreak decreased considerably compared to the pre-epidemic levels and normal service intervals, including the severity of the users, were more severe than normal.

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System impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on New York City's emergency medical services

Cited by 51 publications

References 23 publications

Quantitative analysis of the impact of COVID‐19 on the emergency medical services system in Tokyo

Quantitative analysis of the impact of COVID‐19 on the emergency medical services system in Tokyo

Emergency Medical Service Use Among Latinos Aged 50 and Older in California Counties, Except Los Angeles, During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period

Emergency Medical Services amid New Wave of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in Khon Kaen, Thailand

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