National Emergency Medical Services Information System Research Articles

Prevalence of indications of alcohol and drug use among patients treated for injurious falls by Emergency Medical Services.

To describe the distribution of alcohol and drug involvement in injurious falls by location and subtype of fall. Using the 2019 National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) dataset we identified 1,854,909 patients injured from falls requiring an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response and determined the fall location (e.g. indoors or on street/sidewalk) and the EMS clinician's notation of alcohol or drug involvement. We analyzed substance involvement by fall subtype, location of fall and patient demographics. Overall, for 7.4% of injurious falls there was a notation of substance use: 6.5% for alcohol alone, 0.6% for drugs and 0.3% for alcohol and drugs. 21.2% of falls that occurred on a street or sidewalk had a notation of substance use; alcohol use alone for 18.5% of falls, drugs alone for 1.7% of falls and alcohol and drugs for 0.9% of falls. Substance use prevalence was highest, at 30.3%, in the age group 21 to 64 years, for falls occurring on streets and sidewalks, without syncope or heat illness as contributing factors; alcohol use alone for 26.3%, drugs alone for 2.6%, and alcohol and drugs for 1.4%. Reported substance use involvement was more frequent for men compared to women for each location type. Overall, 1-in-5 injurious falls on streets and sidewalks and requiring EMS attention involved substance use, and these numbers likely underestimate the true burden. As cities seek to expand nightlife districts, design strategies to protect pedestrians from falls should be enacted.

Population-Level Surveillance of Domestic Assaults in the Home Using the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS).

Violence in the home, including partner violence, child abuse, and elder abuse, is pervasive in the United States. An informatics approach allowing automated analysis of administrative data to identify domestic assaults and release timely and localized data would assist preventionists to identify geographic and demographic populations of need and design tailored interventions. This study examines the use of an established national dataset,the NEMSIS 2019, as a potential annual automated data source for domestic assault surveillance. An algorithm was used to identify individuals who utilized emergency medical services (EMS) for a physical assault in a private residence (N = 176,931). Descriptive analyses were conducted to define the identified population and disposition of patients. A logistic regression was performed to predict which characteristics were associated with consistent domestic assault identification by the on-scene EMS clinician and dispatcher. The sample was majority female (52.2%), White (44.7%), urban (85.5%), and 21-29 years old (24.4%). A disproportionate number of those found dead on scene were men (74.5%), and female patients more often refused treatment (57.8%) or were treated and then released against medical advice (58.4%). Domestic assaults against children and seniors had higher odds of being consistently identified by both the dispatcher and EMS clinician than those 21-49, and women had lower odds of consistent identification than men. While a more specific field to identify the type of domestic assault (e.g., intimate partner) would help inform specialized intervention planning, these data indicate an opportunity to systematically track domestic assaults in communities and describe population-specific needs.

Infant out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during nights and weekends

BackgroundA growing body of evidence suggests outcomes for cardiac arrest in adults are worse during nights and weekends when compared with daytime and weekdays. Similar research has not yet been carried out in the infant setting. MethodsWe examined the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS), a database containing millions of emergency medical services (EMS) runs in the United States. Inclusion criteria were infant out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (patients <1 years old) taking place prior to EMS arrival between January 2021 and December 2022 where EMS documented whether return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved. Cardiac arrests were classified as occurring during either the day (defined as 0800–1959) or the night (defined as 2000–0759) and weekends (Saturday/Sunday) or weekdays (Monday-Friday). Rates of ROSC achievement were compared. ResultsA total of 8549 infant cardiac arrests met inclusion criteria: 5074 (59.4%) took place during daytime compared with 3475 (40.6%) during nighttime, and 5989 (70.1%) arrests occurred on weekdays compared with 2560 (29.9%) on weekends. Rates of ROSC achievement were significantly lower on weekends versus weekdays (16.8% vs. 14.1%; p = 0.00097). A difference in ROSC rates when comparing daytime and nighttime was seen, but this difference was not statistically significant (16.4% vs. 15.3%; p = 0.08076). ConclusionROSC achievement rates for infant out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are significantly lower on weekends when compared with weekdays. Further study and quality improvement work is needed to better understand this.

Acute Coronary Syndrome During the Era of COVID-19: Perspective and Implications Using Google Trends

BackgroundAcute coronary syndrome (ACS) hospital admissions decreased during the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Information is limited on how Google searches were related to patients' behaviour during this time. MethodsWe examined de-identified data from 2019 through 2020 regarding the following monthly items: (i) admissions for ACS from the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System; (ii) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) public dataset; and (iii) Google searches for “chest pain,” “coronavirus,” “chest pressure,” and “hospital safe” from Google Trends. We analyzed the trends for ACS admissions, OHCA, and Google searches. ResultsDuring the early months of the first COVID-19 outbreak, the following occurred: (i) Veterans Affairs data showed a significant reduction in ACS admissions at a national and regional (Florida) level; (ii) the NEMSIS database showed a marked increase in OHCA at a national level; and (iii) Google Trends showed a significant increase in the before-mentioned Google searches at a national and regional level. ConclusionsACS hospital admissions decreased during the beginning of the pandemic, likely owing to delayed healthcare utilization secondary to patients fear of acquiring a COVID-19 infection. Concordantly, the volume of Google searches for hospital safety and ACS symptoms increased, along with OHCA events, during the same time. Our results suggest that Google Trends may be a useful tool to predict patients’ behaviour and increase preparedness for future events, but statistical strategies to establish association are needed.

Using NEMSIS to report annual air medical transport statistics

The objective of this study was to use the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) dataset to generate national air medical transport statistics. Retrospective review of the 2021 NEMSIS dataset to identify all air medical transfers, both fixed- and rotor-wing. Transfers where then subcategorized into interfacility and scene responses. Frequencies for each category were generated and reported. A total of 317,267 air medical transfers were completed in 2021. These included 19,421 (6 %) with missing incident location code data. Of the 297,706 transfers with valid location codes, 208,689 (70%) were interfacility transfers, and 89,016 (30%) were scene responses. These preliminary results are consistent with other national estimates and achieve representation of all states and territories. Future work will include longitudinal analysis of NEMSIS datasets and direct survey of transport programs to establish long-term reliability.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Frequency of Bystander Intervention in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests.

Rapid administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can significantly increase patient survival following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Through this study, we aimed to determine if the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the likelihood of OHCAvictims receiving bystander-initiated CPR prior to EMS arrival. We used data collected by the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) for years 2019 and 2020. Data was filtered to include only cases of OHCA where the status of bystander CPR was listed. We used a chi-squareanalysis to compare frequencies of patients receiving both bystander CPR and standard EMS interventions versus patients receiving only standard EMS interventions for the years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic declaration (2019 and 2020, respectively). Of the 577,011 cases that met our inclusion criteria, 228,259 occurred in 2019 and 348,752 occurred in 2020. The frequency of OHCA cases that reported bystander-initiated CPR prior to EMS arrival significantly decreased from 2019 to 2020 (53.7% vs. 52.5%, P<.001). Bystanders are often the first to administer CPR following a cardiac arrest. It was found that the likelihood of an OHCA victim receiving bystander CPR decreased from 2019 to 2020.

A National Assessment of EMS Performance at the Response and Agency Level

Background In 2019, the National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) established a suite of 11 evidence-based EMS quality measures, yet little is known regarding EMS performance on a national level. Our objective was to describe EMS performance at a response and agency level using the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) dataset. Methods The 2019 NEMSIS research dataset of all EMS 9-1-1 responses in the United States was utilized to calculate 10 of 11 NEMSQA quality measures. Measure criteria and pseudocode was implemented to calculate the proportion meeting measure criteria and 95% confidence intervals across all encounters and for each anonymized agency. We omitted Pediatrics-03b because the NEMSIS national dataset does not report patient weight. Agency level analysis was subsequently stratified by call volume and urbanicity. Results Records from 9,679 agencies responding to 26,502,968 9-1-1 events were analyzed. Run-level average performance ranged from 12% for Safety-01 (encounter documented as initial response without the use of lights and siren to 82% for Pediatrics-02 (documented respiratory assessment in pediatric patients with respiratory distress) At the agency level, significant variation in measure performance existed by agency size and by urbanicity. At the individual agency performance analysis, Trauma-04 (trauma patients transported to trauma center) had the lowest agency-level performance with 47% of agencies reporting 0% of eligible runs with documented transport to a trauma center. Conclusion There is a wide range of performance in key EMS quality measures across the United States that demonstrate a need to identify strategies to improve quality and equity of care in the prehospital environment, system performance and data collection.

Epidemiology of Emergency Medical Services-Attended out-of-Hospital Deliveries and Complications in the United States

Background Prehospital obstetric events, including out-of-hospital deliveries and their complications, are a rare but high-risk event encountered by emergency medical services (EMS). Understanding the epidemiology of these encounters would help identify strategies to improve prehospital obstetric care. Our objective was to determine the characteristics of out-of-hospital deliveries and high-risk complications treated by EMS clinicians in the U.S. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of EMS patient care records in the 2018 and 2019 National EMS Information System Public Release Version 3.4 datasets. We included EMS activations after a 9-1-1 scene response for patients aged 12–50 years with evidence of an out-of-hospital delivery or delivery complication, or where the patient was a newborn aged 0-<6 h. We examined patient, community, emergency response, and clinical characteristics using descriptive statistics. Results Of the 56,735,977 EMS activations included in the 2018 and 2019 datasets, there were 8,614 out-of-hospital deliveries, 1,712 delivery complications, and 5,749 records for newborns. Most maternal (76%) out-of-hospital deliveries involved patients between the ages of 20–34 years, occurred on a weekday (73%), were treated by an advanced life support crew (85%), and occurred in a home or residence (73%). EMS-assisted field delivery was documented in 3,515 (34%) of all maternal activations but only 2% of activations with a delivery complication. Few patients received an EMS-administered medication (e.g., 0.4% received oxytocin). Supplemental oxygen was administered in 870 (15%) of newborn activations. Activations from counties with the most racial/ethnic diversity were more often treated by a BLS-level unit (16% vs. 12%, p < 0.001), and activations from rural areas had significantly longer transport times (19.7 min [IQR 8.7, 32.8] vs. urban, 13.1 min [IQR 8.7, 19.7], p < 0.001). Conclusion In this large, national repository of EMS patient care records from across the U.S., most activations for out-of-hospital delivery, delivery complication, or a newborn included only routine EMS care. There were potential disparities in level of care, clinical care provided, and measures of access to definitive care based on maternal and community factors. We also identified gaps in current practice, such as for postpartum hemorrhage, that could be addressed with changes in EMS clinical protocols and regulations.

Abstract 405: Characteristics and Care of Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in the National Emergency Medical Services Information System

Background: Pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an infrequent event with variations in clinical performance in the United States. Recent data on national incidence and treatments provided by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians during these events is unclear. We sought to characterize the incidence, medications, and procedures performed on children presenting with OHCA. Methods: We evaluated EMS responses in the US using 2021 National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) data. We included children (age ≥1 day - 17 years) with 9-1-1 responses. We identified OHCA events by those with reported: 1) cardiac arrest, 2) EMS resuscitation attempt, 3) EMS CPR performance, or 4) EMS defibrillation. We determined the incidence of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among EMS responses and evaluated patient demographics (age, sex, race, location, urbanicity) and clinical interventions (medications, airway procedures). Results: Among 1.74 million pediatric 9-1-1 responses in 2021, we observed 13,040 OHCA events and an overall incidence of 7.6 per 1,000 pediatric 9-1-1 responses. For OHCA events, the median age was 3 years (IQR 0.33,14); 33% of events occurred in children less than one-year-old and 30% in adolescents aged 13-17. Most patients were male (58%) and events occurred mainly in urban settings (79%) and homes (63%). Of this population, 12% received defibrillation, 41% epinephrine, and 27% an advanced airway (endotracheal intubation or supraglottic airway). Conclusions: Pediatric OHCA incidence was low and followed a biphasic pattern by age. As expected in the pediatric population, defibrillation rates were low. One-quarter of patients received an advanced airway. Epinephrine, recommended for all cardiac arrests, was found to be administered in less than half of these events. Further studies are needed to evaluate barriers to optimal OHCA management in pediatric patients in prehospital settings.

Abstract 267: Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Influences Rates of Pre-EMS Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a leading cause of both morbidity and mortality in the United States and globally. After cardiac arrest onset, emergency medical services (EMS) might not arrive before irreversible injury takes place. Thus, pre-EMS resuscitation - including CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use - is associated with improvements in outcomes. We sought to determine if rates of pre-EMS CPR and pre-EMS AED use vary across neighborhood socioeconomic status using a database of EMS activations throughout the United States. Methods: The National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) is a large and nationally-representative database of EMS activations populated from more than ten-thousand EMS agencies throughout the US. We examined cardiac arrests in adult patients (18+ years of age) between January 2017 and December 2019 where EMS providers documented the ZIP code of the arrest, whether CPR prior to EMS arrival was provided, and whether an AED was applied prior to EMS arrival. The ZIP code of the arrest was used to group arrests based on socioeconomic status data from the US Census Bureau. Rates of pre-EMS CPR and pre-EMS AED use were then compared, and ZIP codes with under 5% of residents below the poverty line served as benchmarks. Results: 366,280 cardiac arrests met inclusion criteria. Both Pre-EMS CPR and pre-EMS AED use were highest in ZIP Codes where less than 5% of the population is below the poverty line (p&lt; .00001). Furthermore, a consistent decrease in rates of pre-EMS interventions was seen as the percent of individuals below the poverty line increased (Figure 1). Conclusion: We found a strong relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic status and pre-EMS cardiac arrest interventions. One explanation may be access to CPR training. Further studies should continue to interrogate cardiac arrest disparities that have already been reported and seek to identify new unreported disparities as well.

Abstract 230: Epidemiology of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Field Termination in the US

Introduction: While registry-based OHCA research produces high quality information on treatment and outcomes, it lacks the ability to place OHCA in context with EMS-treated conditions. We sought to estimate the rate of OHCA in a national sample of EMS emergency responses and describe national trends in occurrence and field termination. Methods: Using the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) Public-Release Datasets, we conducted a retrospective analysis of EMS runs for OHCA. EMS agencies were analyzed using a masked ID constant across data years. To be included, a run must be documented as “cardiac arrest prior to EMS arrival” and the agency must report more than 10 total Emergency Response runs for each data year. The OHCA rates were calculated and presented as OHCA per 1000 runs. Median rates were compared using Mood’s test. To compare agency level trends in care delivery, agencies had to document &gt;5 OHCA runs in each study year. Results: From 2019-2021, there were 83,914,470 Emergency Response runs submitted to NEMSIS. Of these, 840,620 (1.0%) were documented as cardiac arrest (CA) prior to EMS arrival. The OHCA cohort was 37% female, 13% Black, 5% Hispanic/Latinx, 39% White and 41% Not Documented. The mean age was 59 years (SD 21) with 21% missing. The national incidence of OHCA was 10 CA per 1,000 runs. Most agencies saw 13 or fewer OHCA per year (median: 13, IRQ: 5, 44). Agency level rates varied with a median annual rate of 12.6 per 1,000 runs (IQR: 8.5, 18.7). Median agency rates were similar across all three years (11.4 vs 13.0 vs 12.5, p&gt;0.05 for all). Overall, field termination was 47%, with more occurring in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2021 (19-20: 44% vs 49%; 20-21: 49% vs 47%; p &lt;0.001 for all). Agency field termination percentage was positively correlated with ROSC percent among transported patients (ρ = 0.12, p &lt;0.001) but negatively correlated with overall ROSC (ρ = -0.34, p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Despite perceived limitations of non-registry data, significant information about OHCA care is widely available from existing public data. Absent a population-level OHCA rate, by benchmarking OHCA with all EMS runs, we can monitor for significant changes in OHCA incidence. Field terminations appear to be associated with more ROSC among transported patients, but not overall.

Correlation of vital sign centiles with in-hospital outcomes among adults encountered by emergency medical services.

Vital signs are a critical component of the prehospital assessment. Prior work has suggested that vital signs may vary in their distribution by age. These differences in vital signs may have implications on in-hospital outcomes or be utilized within prediction models. We sought to (1) identify empirically derived (unadjusted) cut points for vital signs for adult patients encountered by emergency medical services (EMS), (2) evaluate differences in age-adjusted cutoffs for vital signs in this population, and (3) evaluate unadjusted and age-adjusted vital signs measures with in-hospital outcomes. We used two multiagency EMS data sets to derive (National EMS Information System from 2018) and assess agreement (ESO, Inc., from 2019 to 2021) of vital signs cutoffs among adult EMS encounters. We compared unadjusted to age-adjusted cutoffs. For encounters within the ESO sample that had in-hospital data, we compared the association of unadjusted cutoffs and age-adjusted cutoffs with hospitalization and in-hospital mortality. We included 13,405,858 and 18,682,684 encounters in the derivation and validation samples, respectively. Both extremely high and extremely low vital signs demonstrated stepwise increases in admission and in-hospital mortality. When evaluating age-based centiles with vital signs, a gradual decline was noted at all extremes of heart rate (HR) with increasing age. Extremes of systolic blood pressure at upper and lower margins were greater in older age groups relative to younger age groups. Respiratory rate (RR) cut points were similar for all adult age groups. Compared to unadjusted vital signs, age-adjusted vital signs had slightly increased accuracy for HR and RR but lower accuracy for SBP for outcomes of mortality and hospitalization. We describe cut points for vital signs for adults in the out-of-hospital setting that are associated with both mortality and hospitalization. While we found age-based differences in vital signs cutoffs, this adjustment only slightly improved model performance for in-hospital outcomes.

Secular trends in airway management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) dataset

IntroductionPrehospital airway management is essential in resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). No longitudinal national studies have described longitudinal trends in airway device choice. We sought to evaluate secular trends of OHCA endotracheal intubation (ETI) and supraglottic airway (SGA) in the United States (US). MethodsWe evaluated ETI and SGA use for 2013–2022 in adult OHCA in the US using the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) database. We identified OHCA events (CPR performed or defibrillation) and evaluated the proportions of ETI and SGA used during OHCA. We repeated the results stratified by urbanicity. We used descriptive statistics to describe the prevalence of airway device use by urbanicity. ResultsDuring the study period, we observed 320,154,097 adult 9-1-1 events. Of 3,118,703 OHCA, there were 699,568 and 337,458 cases with reported ETI and SGA attempts. The dominant airway choice was ETI, though the trend of ETI choice decreased as SGA increased over time. From 2013 to 2022, SGA use increased in urban settings, while rural and suburban remained stable. ConclusionOver ten years, rates of advanced airway use have increased, with ETI remaining the predominant airway for adults in OHCA. Interestingly, ETI choice decreased as SGA increased over the study period. SGA use distinctly differed in urban settings, increasing concerns for disparities in care provision among communities. With the increased use of SGA over time, further evaluation of patient outcomes is required in datasets with robust linkage to Utstein variables.

The Daily Patterns of Emergency Medical Events.

This study examines population-level daily patterns of time-stamped emergency medical service (EMS) dispatches to establish their situational predictability. Using visualization, sinusoidal regression, and statistical tests to compare empirical cumulative distributions, we analyzed 311,848,450 emergency medical call records from the US National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) for years 2010 through 2022. The analysis revealed a robust daily pattern in the hourly distribution of distress calls across 33 major categories of medical emergency dispatch types. Sinusoidal regression coefficients for all types were statistically significant, mostly at the p < 0.0001 level. The coefficient of determination ranged from 0.84 and 0.99 for all models, with most falling in the 0.94 to 0.99 range. The common sinusoidal pattern, peaking in mid-afternoon, demonstrates that all major categories of medical emergency dispatch types appear to be influenced by an underlying daily rhythm that is aligned with daylight hours and common sleep/wake cycles. A comparison of results with previous landmark studies revealed new and contrasting EMS patterns for several long-established peak occurrence hours-specifically for chest pain, heart problems, stroke, convulsions and seizures, and sudden cardiac arrest/death. Upon closer examination, we also found that heart attacks, diagnosed by paramedics in the field via 12-lead cardiac monitoring, followed the identified common daily pattern of a mid-afternoon peak, departing from prior generally accepted morning tendencies. Extended analysis revealed that the normative pattern prevailed across the NEMSIS data when reorganized to consider monthly, seasonal, daylight-savings versus civil time, and pre-/post-COVID-19 periods. The predictable daily EMS patterns provide impetus for more research that links daily variation with causal risk and protective factors. Our methods are straightforward and presented with detail to provide accessible and replicable implementation for researchers and practitioners.

Documented Use of Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocols is Associated with Improved Survival in Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Objective There are over 300,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) annually in the United States (US) and despite many scientific advances in the field, the survival rate remains low. We seek to determine if return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is higher when use of emergency medical dispatch (EMD) protocols is documented for OHCA calls compared to when no EMD protocol use is documented. We also seek identify care-related processes that differ in calls that use EMD protocols. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of U.S. adults with OHCA prior to emergency medical services (EMS) arrival using 2019 National EMS Information System data. The primary exposure was EMD usage during EMS call. The primary outcome was prehospital ROSC, and secondary outcomes included automated external defibrillator (AED) use before EMS arrival, bystander CPR, and end-of-event EMS survival (survival to the end of the EMS care at transport destination). Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, primary insurance, rurality, initial rhythm, arrest etiology, and witnessed arrest. Results Of the 96,269 OHCA cases included, EMD use was documented in 73%. Overall, 26% of subjects achieved ROSC in EMS care. EMD subjects were more likely to achieve ROSC (27.2% vs. 23.5%, uOR 1.22, 95%CI 1.18 − 1.26) even after adjusting for subject and arrest characteristics (aOR 1.13, 95%CI 1.08 − 1.17). EMD subjects also had higher end-of-event survival (19.1% vs. 16.4%, aOR 1.20, 95%CI 1.15 − 1.25). AED use before EMS arrival was more common in the EMD group (28.3% vs. 26.3% %diff 2.0, 95%CI 1.4 to 2.6), as was CPR before EMS arrival (63.8% vs. 55.1%, difference 8.6%, 95%CI 7.9 to 9.3%). Conclusions In this retrospective analysis, the rate of ROSC was higher in adult OHCA patients when EMD protocol use was reported compared to when it was not reported. The group with documented EMD use also experienced higher rates of bystander AED use, bystander CPR, and end-of-event survival.

Emergency Medical Services Management of Bronchospasm in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis and Nationwide Quality Assessment

Background/Objective: Bronchospasm, caused by asthma and other related conditions, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality commonly managed by emergency medical services (EMS). We aimed to evaluate the quality of prehospital management of bronchospasm by EMS in the US. Methods: The National EMS Information System Public Release Research dataset, a nationwide convenience sample of prehospital patient care report data from 2018 to 2019, was used to capture 9-1-1 activations where patients aged ≥2 years were treated and transported by EMS for suspected bronchospasm. First, we described the extent to which EMS care met eight quality measures identified from available statewide EMS protocols, existing quality measures, and national guidelines. Second, we quantified the extent of risk-standardized agency-level variation in administration of inhaled beta agonists and systemic corticosteroids using logistic regression models, accounting for patient characteristics, severity, and clustering by agencies. Third, we compared rates of completed prehospital interventions between pediatric (age <18 years) versus adult patients using two-sample t-tests. Results: A total of 1,336,988 EMS encounters for suspected bronchospasm met inclusion criteria. Median age of patients was 66 years, with only 4% pediatric; 55% were female. Advanced life support (ALS) units managed 94% of suspected bronchospasm. Respiratory rate (98%) and pulse oximetry (96%) were documented in nearly all cases. Supplemental oxygen was administered to hypoxic patients by 65% of basic life support (BLS) and 73% of ALS units. BLS administered inhaled beta-agonist therapy less than half the time (48%), compared to 77% by ALS. ALS administered inhaled anticholinergic therapy in 38% of cases, and systemic corticosteroids in 19% of cases. Pediatric patients were significantly less likely to receive supplemental oxygen when hypoxic, inhaled beta-agonists, inhaled anticholinergics, or systemic corticosteroids. Conclusions: We found important gaps in recent EMS practice for prehospital care of suspected bronchospasm. We highlight three targets for improvement: inhaled beta-agonist administration by BLS, systemic corticosteroid administration by ALS, and increased interventions for pediatric patients. These findings indicate important areas for research, protocol modification, and quality improvement efforts to improve EMS management of bronchospasm.

Access to Athletic Trainers and Emergency Medical Services Activations for Sport-Related Injuries.

Having athletic trainers (ATs) employed at secondary schools is associated with improved preparedness for sport-related emergencies. The use of emergency medical services (EMS) in settings with different access to athletic training services remains unknown. To compare the incidence of EMS activations for patients with sport-related injuries among zip codes with various levels of access to athletic training services. Descriptive epidemiology study. Data were obtained from the National EMS Information System and the Athletic Training Location and Services Project. Zip codes where 911 EMS activations for sport-related injuries among individuals 13 to 18 years old occurred. Incidence of EMS activations, athletic training service level (no ATs employed [NONE], less than full-time employment [PARTIAL], all ATs employed full time [FULL]), and athletic training employment model (independent contractor [IC], medical or university facility [MUF], school district [SD], mixed employment models [MIX]) for each zip code. The EMS activations were 2.8 ± 3.6 per zip code (range = 1-81, N = 4923). Among zip codes in which at least 1 AT was employed (n = 2228), 3.73% (n = 83) were IC, 38.20% (n = 851) were MUF, 27.24% (n = 607) were SD, and 30.83% (n = 687) were MIX. Compared with SD, MUF had a 10.8% lower incidence of EMS activations (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.892; 95% CI = 0.817, 0.974; P = .010). The IC (IRR = 0.920; 95% CI = 0.758, 1.118; P = .403) and MIX (IRR = 0.996; 95% CI = 0.909, 1.091; P = .932) employment models were not different from the SD model. Service level was calculated for 3834 zip codes, with 19.5% (n = 746) NONE, 46.2% (n = 1771) PARTIAL, and 34.4% (n = 1317) FULL. Compared with NONE, FULL (IRR = 1.416; 95% CI = 1.308, 1.532; P < .001) and PARTIAL (IRR = 1.368; 95% CI = 1.268, 1.476; P < .001) had higher incidences of EMS activations. Local access to athletic training services was associated with an increased use of EMS for sport-related injuries among secondary school-aged individuals, possibly indicating improved identification and triage of sport-related emergencies in the area. The difference in EMS use among employment models may reflect different policies and procedures for sport-related emergencies.

Commentary on Jones et al.: We must consider emergency medical services data an opportunity for a view into a community.

Jones et al. demonstrate that through hard work and thoughtful review, even disparate data can assist the advancement of public health and public policy across jurisdictions. An emergency medical services industry-led focus on documentation standards and data integration can make this easier and more effective for our patients. Jones et al. have taken on the challenging task of identifying the characteristics of opioid-related incidents (ORI) from emergency medical services (EMS) calls to assess the impact of opioids in Massachusetts. They responded to a legislative mandate to review EMS records by creating a free text search and a five-tier severity cascade where opioid use can be identified, even without overdoses [1]. These researchers demonstrate the need to review all available data despite the fact that Massachusetts [2], like much of the United States, utilizes multiple EMS documentation platforms, written in disparate documentation styles, then aggregated through the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) [3]. Authors have focused previously upon the use of naloxone to identify a non-fatal overdose [4-6], but many ORI do not receive naloxone [7]. Jones et al. used a free text search for terms in the narrative to point to specific types of ORI. This search function was elegantly designed to go beyond the discrete variables of NEMSIS and search for ORI by intoxicant name and concerning symptoms. Jones et al. have previously demonstrated gender disparity with EMS naloxone administration, indicating why it is vital to use narrative data to identify ORI [8]. The strength of this search and the ORI severity cascade is further demonstrated, as 29% of the opioid intoxications and 36% of all ORI did not receive naloxone. The OTHER ORI allows a broad range of conditions that can factor into the impact of opioid use disorder and serve as a further marker for opportunity for intervention and change. EMS records are the first chapter of the story of nearly every critical patient encounter and assist in the care of vulnerable patients. However, when hospital systems implement an electronic health record they frequently save money by not integrating local EMS data. When embedded in the health-care continuum, EMS data can help to advance public health and public policy. Jones et al.’s multi-tiered approach to ORI is an important step towards realizing this goal. Michael Winter Dailey: Writing—original draft (lead); writing—review and editing (equal). Emma Furlano: Writing—original draft (supporting); writing—review and editing (equal).

Prehospital Seizure Management in Children: An Evaluation of a Nationally Representative Sample

To describe the characteristics and emergency medical services (EMS) interventions, appropriateness of medication dosing, and factors associated with use of any or multiple doses of benzodiazepines for children with seizures in the prehospital setting from a nationally representative dataset. We performed a retrospective study of EMS encounters within the National EMS Information System between 2019 and 2021, including children (<18years) with an impression of seizures. We identified (1) factors associated with the use of benzodiazepines in a logistic regression model and (2) factors associated with multiple doses of benzodiazepines in an ordinal regression model. We included 361 177 encounters for seizure. Among transports with an Advanced Life Support clinician, 89.9% were given no benzodiazepines and 7.7%, 1.9%, and 0.4% were given 1, 2, and≥3 doses of benzodiazepines, respectively. Encounters given more doses of benzodiazepines had increased use of supplemental oxygen. A high proportion (43.4%) of EMS-provided initial benzodiazepine doses were inappropriately low. EMS-provided benzodiazepine use was associated with use of benzodiazepine prior to EMS arrival. Provision of multiple doses of EMS-provided benzodiazepines was associated with use of a low initial dose of benzodiazepine and use of lorazepam or diazepam compared with midazolam. A large proportion of prehospital pediatric patients with seizure are given inappropriately low dose of benzodiazepines. Use of a low dose of benzodiazepine and use of benzodiazepines other than midazolam are associated with additional benzodiazepine usage. Our findings have implications for future research and quality improvement needs in pediatric prehospital seizure management.

A methodology for the public health surveillance and epidemiologic analysis of outdoor falls that require an emergency medical services response

BackgroundFalls are a common cause of injury with significantly associated medical costs yet public health surveillance of injuries from falls is underdeveloped. In addition, the epidemiologic understanding of outdoor falls, which have been reported to account for 47% of all injurious falls, is scant. Here we present methods to use emergency medical services (EMS) data as a public health surveillance tool for fall injuries, including those that occur secondary to syncope and heat illness, with a focus on the scope and epidemiology of outdoor fall injuries.MethodsUsing the 2019 National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) data, we developed an approach to identify EMS encounters for fall injuries, syncope and heat illness. NEMSIS variables used in our algorithm included the EMS respondent’s impression of the encounter, the reported major symptoms and the cause of injury. With these data we identified injuries from falls and, using the NEMSIS data on the location of the encounter, we identified fall injuries as occurring indoors or outdoors. We present the descriptive epidemiology of the identified patients.ResultsThere were 1,854,909 injuries from falls that required an EMS response identified in the NEMSIS data, with 4% of those injuries secondary to episodes of syncope (n = 73,126) and heat illness. Sufficient data were available from 94% of injurious falls that they could be assigned to indoor or outdoor locations, with 9% of these fall injuries occurring outdoors. Among fall injuries identified as occurring outdoors, 85% occurred on streets and sidewalks. Patient age was the primary sociodemographic characteristic that varied by location of the injurious fall. Sixty-six percent of fall injuries that occurred indoors were among those age 65 years or older, while this figure was 34% for fall injuries occurring outdoors on a street or sidewalk.ConclusionThe occurrence of outdoor fall injuries identified in the NEMSIS data were substantially lower than reported in other data sets. However, numerically fall injuries occurring outdoors represent a substantial public health burden. The strengths and weaknesses of using this approach for routine public health surveillance of injuries from falls, syncope and heat illness are discussed.