Utilizing Advanced Telecommunication Strategies to Enhance the Response of Emergency Medical Services Volunteers

Dadon, Ziv; Alpert, Evan Avraham; Jaffe, Eli

doi:10.1017/dmp.2019.126

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…MDA operates a fleet of over 1000 ambulances and Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICUs) spread throughout the country in 177 stations which are staffed by 2400 employees and over 24,000 volunteers [5]. In addition to the ambulances and MICUs 7000 volunteer first responders are utilized on over 600 motorcycles, 50 electric mini vehicles, 200 bicycles, and volunteers' personal vehicles which are also outfitted with emergency equipment [6]. As the national EMS, at any time of a crisis and especially in pandemics, disasters and wars, MDA must balance the increased needs created by the crisis with the ongoing needs of regular emergency incidents [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic – An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak

Jaffe

Sonkin

Strugo

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine

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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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic – An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak

Jaffe

Sonkin

Strugo

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine

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“…We have shown in this study that online volunteering is a great tool for humanitarian programs. Online volunteering and using online tools for voluntary work is widespread in different elds including heritage, health, disaster preparedness, emergency response, learning language, and sport [19][20][21][22][23]. Our study indicates that beside usual volunteers, there are opportunities for refugees, women, and citizens in other provinces and countries to participate virtually in humanitarian activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

The Challenges and Opportunities of Online Volunteering for COVID-19 Response in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Seddighi

Salmani

Ермолаева

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: The aim of this brief report is to identify the challenges and opportunities of online volunteering to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of the managers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).Methods: In this study we have used a qualitative method including semi-structured interviews for investigating the opportunities and challenges of using virtual volunteers. The eligible participants meeting the inclusion criteria for this study were eight IRCS managers who had used online volunteers for COVID-19 pandemic response.Results: Having considered the interviews with IRCS managers, we finally found seven items as opportunities including safety, availability, recruiting more volunteers, cost reduction, participation, geographical scope, and local considerations. Moreover, five items were found as challenges of online volunteering in IRCS including lack of commitment, cultural issues, infrastructure, reimbursement, and volunteer management.Conclusion: Online volunteering is a significant opportunity for humanitarian organizations especially during epidemics like the current COVID-19. Online volunteering for COVID-19 response by the Red Crescent involved a wide range of people including young people, the elderly, people with disabilities and minority groups, and people in rural areas.

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“…Magen David Adom uses a sophisticated technological command-and-control platform that allows rapid intake, telephone guidance, auditing, archiving, automatic ambulance dispatch and automatic mobilization of volunteer first responders. 8 This allows for centralized on-scene organization and subsequent data collection and post hoc analysis. For this study, an aggregate EMS calls census was undertaken using only retrospective de-identified data extracted through the institutional Business Intelligence System from the command-and-control platform of MDA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of a Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Service During Military Conflict Versus COVID-19: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study

et al. 2021

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Background Decreases in routine healthcare practices have been shown to occur during disasters. However, research regarding the impacts of natural disasters, pandemics, or military conflicts on emergency medical services (EMS) is scarce. Objectives This study assessed the impact of a military conflict versus the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on a national EMS organization in terms of responses to overall daily emergencies, medical illnesses, motor vehicle collisions, and other injuries. Methods This retrospective comparative cohort study assessed daily routine emergency ambulance calls to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national EMS organization. This included overall emergency calls as well as those related to medical illnesses, motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), and other injuries. All data were obtained from the MDA command and control database. During the military conflict Operation Protective Edge (2014), the civilian population was subjected to intensive rocket attacks for 24 days, followed by 26 days of a progressive withdrawal of operations and then to a post-conflict period. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-April 2020), the population was subjected to 32 days of total lockdown, followed by 27 days of progressive relief of confinement, and then to a post-lockdown period. Results The total number of emergency calls in this study was 330,430. During the conflict, the mean number of daily calls decreased, followed by an increase during Relief and Post-Conflict with higher values in Post-Conflict than in Pre-Conflict. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in the mean daily number of calls during Lockdown. It remained low during Relief and increased during Post-Lockdown. However, it remained lower in Post-Lockdown than during Pre-Lockdown. Calls related to medical illnesses decreased during the conflict and during the lockdown. The post-conflict period was characterized by a similar baseline call magnitude but not during the post-lockdown period. Decreases in calls for MVC and other injuries were significant during the lockdown but not during the military conflict. Post-lockdown was accompanied by return to baseline call volumes for MVC, whereas calls for other injuries increased above baseline both after the lockdown and military conflict. Conclusion This study shows decreasing trends in routine daily calls for EMS during both Operation Protective Edge and COVID-19. However, different patterns of needs for EMS were evidenced for medical illnesses, MVC, or calls concerning other injuries. These results are instrumental for managing the operational demands of EMS during military conflicts and pandemics.

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Utilizing Advanced Telecommunication Strategies to Enhance the Response of Emergency Medical Services Volunteers

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic – An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak

Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic – An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak

The Challenges and Opportunities of Online Volunteering for COVID-19 Response in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Responses of a Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Service During Military Conflict Versus COVID-19: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study

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