Emergency Medical Service in the Elderly Population in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This research examines the impact of an aging population in Eastern Iran on prehospital emergency medical services (EMS), with a focus on changes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional analysis was performed on data from 10,264 elderly individuals using EMS in Torbat-e Heydarieh County from March 2019 to March 2022. Statistical analyses, including t-tests and Chi-square tests, were conducted using SPSS software. Findings indicate that 30% of the 33,847 EMS calls received were from older adults. The nature of emergencies evolved from cardiovascular issues pre-pandemic to predominantly impaired consciousness during COVID-19, a statistically significant shift ( p < .001). The study concludes with a call for research targeted at this demographic and suggests setting up dedicated EMS response units to cater to the elderly, responding to the increase in elderly-related EMS needs.