Trends and Characteristics of Emergency Medical Services in Italy: A 5-Years Population-Based Registry Analysis.

Sara Campagna,Alberto Borraccino,Michele Starnini,Marco Dalmasso,Valerio Dimonte,Maria Michela Gianino,Alessio Conti

doi:10.3390/healthcare8040551

Sara Campagna, Alberto Borraccino + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040551

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Abstract

Background: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) plays a fundamental role in providing good quality healthcare services to citizens, as they are the first responders in distressing situations. Few studies have used available EMS data to investigate EMS call characteristics and subsequent responses. Methods: Data were extracted from the emergency registry for the period 2013–2017. This included call and rescue vehicle dispatch information. All relationships in analyses and differences in events proportion between 2013 and 2017 were tested against the Pearson’s Chi-Square with a 99% level of confidence. Results: Among the 2,120,838 emergency calls, operators dispatched at least one rescue vehicle for 1,494,855. There was an estimated overall incidence of 96 emergency calls and 75 rescue vehicles dispatched per 1000 inhabitants per year. Most calls were made by private citizens, during the daytime, and were made from home (63.8%); 31% of rescue vehicle dispatches were advanced emergency medical vehicles. The highest number of rescue vehicle dispatches ended at the emergency department (74.7%). Conclusions: Our data showed that, with some exception due to environmental differences, the highest proportion of incoming emergency calls is not acute or urgent and could be more effectively managed in other settings than in an Emergency Departments (ED). Better management of dispatch can reduce crowding and save hospital emergency departments time, personnel, and health system costs.

Highlights

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems primary function is to deliver emergency medical care in all emergencies, including disasters; it is a system of coordinated response, involving multiple people and agencies
The EMS in Piedmont consists of one regional operation centre and four operative stations, all of which are coordinated by a medical doctor and managed by nurses
A total of 2,120,838 incoming emergency calls were reported in the EMUR registry for the Piedmont

Summary

Introduction

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems primary function is to deliver emergency medical care in all emergencies, including disasters; it is a system of coordinated response, involving multiple people and agencies. As a first response provider, out-of-hospital EMS must contribute to the reduction of unnecessary pressures on Emergency Departments (ED), through direct transportation to a more appropriate destination, by providing necessary care on-scene, or by providing advice over the telephone. Offering such alternatives has the potential to reduce pressures on the system but can benefit patients by ensuring they receive ‘the right treatment, at the right time, by the right person’ [2]. Methods: Data were extracted from the emergency registry for the period 2013–2017 This included call and rescue vehicle dispatch information. Better management of dispatch can reduce crowding and save hospital emergency departments time, personnel, and health system costs

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