Affiliation:
1. Institut für Notfallmedizin und Medizinmanagement, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität München, Schillerstr. 53, 80336 Munich, Germany
Abstract
Background and Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the utilization of health care services and posed organizational challenges. While many previous studies focused on the misuse of pre-hospital EMS for low-urgency health problems, the pandemic has put more emphasis on the avoidance of medically necessary calls. Objective: To compare the utilization of pre-hospital emergency medical services before and after specific pandemic periods. Design, setting and participants: This was a retrospective, descriptive analysis of routine data from 26 dispatch centers in Bavaria, Germany. Outcomes measure and analysis: We investigated the number of emergencies per 100,000 population, as well as the relative change in the emergency rates and transport rates in 2020, compared to the two previous years. Boxplots showed the distributions across the Bavarian districts per calendar week. The mean rates and standard deviations as well as the relative changes were presented for the specific periods. A paired samples t-test was used to compare the rates. Main results: Compared to the average of the two previous years, the emergency rates in 2020 were lower in 35 out of 52 calendar weeks. The strongest reductions were observed during the first wave, where the average emergency rate declined by 12.9% (SD 6.8, p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall emergency rate during the summer holidays. Lower transport rates were observed throughout the year, especially during the first wave. Conclusions: Utilization of pre-hospital emergency medical services decreased in 2020, especially during the periods with strict measures. This could be due to the lower morbidity from the behavioral changes during the pandemic, but also to the avoidance of medical services for both less urgent and severe conditions. While a reduction in unnecessary care would be beneficial, patients must be encouraged to seek necessary urgent care, even during a pandemic.
Funder
Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, Sport and Integration and the Bavarian social insurance agencies
Subject
Health Information Management,Health Informatics,Health Policy,Leadership and Management
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献