Abstract 13739: Emergency Medical Services Calls During COVID-19: Bottleneck Explained<A Narrative Review>

Abstract

Background: During COVID-19 peak in 2020, EMS calls have surged unprecedently internationally, causing global disruption in EMS dispatch centers’ services and significant delays in emergency response worldwide. This negatively impacted the chain of survival for cardiac and stroke, and other emergencies. No studies yet have been done to examine this phenomenon globally. Objectives: This paper examines the interrelated effects of the unprecedented global increase of EMS calls, the effect of the COVID-19 crisis on responding to non-COVID-19 emergencies; mainly cardiac and stroke emergencies- among others, and the concurrent effects of having overwhelmed dispatch centers. We examined the bottleneck phenomenon that resulted in the disruption of EMS calls in different countries, and found three main factors: 1.EMS-related factors 2.Social-related factors 3.Patient-related factors. For better understanding, we also explained each factor based on the available literature. Eligibility Criteria : We examined the numbers of EMS calls internationally between March and June 2020, derived from published literature and news media. Only articles in English were selected, with certain keywords related to EMS calls, ambulance delay, stroke and cardiac arrest. Results: After applying the selection criteria, a total of 29 citations were chosen, and a pattern of knowledge resulted in the emergence of five themes: •EMS calls during COVID-19 •Reduced EMS operator response time •Ambulance response delays •Collateral mortality and morbidity among non-COVID-19 cases •Total ambulance call time Conclusion: Over the course of COVID-19 progress, there was a global phenomenon of exponential increases in EMS calls, which is expected to impose a great pressure on EMS dispatch centers. Several factors contributing to the bottleneck of EMS calls are identified and explained. By understanding these factors and their collateral impact on EMS calls, we can implement better crises and disaster response plans. This is an informative paper to EMS decision makers worldwide. Key words: EMS calls, COVID-19, Ambulance response time, Pandemic response, EMS access, Ambulance delay