Violence-related ambulance call-outs in the North West of England: a cross-sectional analysis of nature, extent and relationships to temporal, celebratory and sporting events

Abstract

Objective: To explore the potential of ambulance call-out data in understanding violence to inform prevention activity.Method: Cross-sectional (2013Cross-sectional ( -2015 study examining the nature, extent and characteristics of violence-related ambulance call-outs (n=15,687) across North West England, and relationships with temporal, celebratory and sporting events. Results:The majority of call-outs were for males, with a mean age of 33 years. Most call-outs were to deprived (64.4%) and urban (65.4%) areas, and occurred at night (6pm-5.59am; 75.2%).Three-quarters (77.3%) were recorded as assault/sexual assault and 22.7% stab/gunshot/penetrating trauma. Significant differences in call-out characteristics were identified between the two violence types. Generalised linear modelling (GLM) found that callouts significantly increased on weekends, New Year's Eves and weekday bank holiday eves (except for stab/gunshot/penetrating trauma). No significant associations between all violence call-outs, the two violence categories, and sporting or celebration events were identified. Twothirds (66.1%) of call-outs were transferred to another health service for further assessment and/or treatment. The odds of being transferred was significantly higher amongst males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.5; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.4-1.6), those aged 13-24 years (AOR 1.2; 95%CI 1.0-1.4), call-outs for stab/gunshot/penetrating trauma (AOR 1.4; 95%CI 1.3-1.5), call-outs on Fridays/Saturdays (AOR 1.1; 95%CI 1.0-1.2), and lower for callouts on New Year's Eves (AOR 0.6; 95%CI 0.4-0.9). Conclusion:Ambulance call-out data can provide a wealth of information to understand violence and subsequently inform violence prevention and response activity. Ambulance services and staff could play a key role in preventing violence, through sharing data, and identifying and supporting victims.

A cross-sectional study of child injury ambulance call-out characteristics and their utility in surveillance

“…To our knowledge, this is the only published research in scientific journals that uses ambulance records to study child injuries. As established by previous research, ambulance data can identify at-risk groups and establish where and when targeted prevention can be applied (Backe and Andersson 2008;Thomas et al 2011;Quigg et al 2017).…”

“…Trauma and Injury Intelligence Group, England (Quigg et al 2012); All Wales Injury Surveillance System (Lyons et al 2016); National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, USA (Nelson et al 2011); Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (Crain et al 2016). A few studies have shown some utility in the use of ambulance service data in injury surveillance; whilst not solely focused on children, they indicate that such data could also be used to develop understanding and monitoring of injury at local and regional levels (Backe and Andersson 2008;Thomas et al 2011;Quigg et al 2017).…”

Learning from alcohol (policy) reforms in the Northern Territory (LEARNT): protocol for a mixed-methods study examining the impacts of the banned drinker register

“…Ambulance attendance data can provide useful information regarding the identification of trends in alcohol use and aggression or violence within at-risk groups,38–41 in addition to information that is not available through ED data (eg, geographical location where an incident occurred) 42 43. Trends in all ambulance attendances by demographics will be investigated.…”

Going Beyond the Blue: The Utility of Emergency Medical Services Data in Understanding Violent Crime

“…For one, they provide a broader source of information on potential violence than emergency department records because some victims of less serious violence are either treated on scene or refuse transport to the hospital (Giacomantonio et al, 2014). For example, Quigg and colleagues (2017) found in their examination of 3 years of violence-related ambulance calls that about one third of the calls did not lead to transfer to an emergency room or other health provider. Thus, these incidents would not appear in hospital data.…”