Volume 27, Issue 2 (11-2024)
jha 2024, 27(2): 0-0 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Aghaei Hashjin A, Kabiri L, Aryankhesal A, Jodari F. Non-urgent demand for pre-hospital emergency services in Tehran province: first half of 2021. jha 2024; 27 (2)
URL: http://jha.iums.ac.ir/article-1-4453-en.html
URL: http://jha.iums.ac.ir/article-1-4453-en.html
1- Iran University of Medical Sciences
2- Iran University of Medical Sciences ,leilakabiri95@gmail.com
2- Iran University of Medical Sciences ,
Abstract: (127 Views)
Introduction: The demand for pre-hospital emergency services is increasing globally, with a significant number of cases being non-urgent. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of non-urgent demand and to investigate the relationship between demographic characteristics, medication use, underlying diseases, vital signs, and the day and time of non-urgent demand contacts.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study utilized information from 300 individuals who had contacted the emergency medical services of Tehran province in the first six months of 2021. Proportional sampling was conducted for two groups of individuals that had made urgent and non-urgent demands to the emergency medical services. Multivariate logistic regression and Chi-square statistical tests were used to analyze the data.
Results: More than one-third (33 percent) of all calls made to the emergency services of Tehran province were non-urgent demand. Place of residence, normal heart rate and oxygen level, underlying cardiovascular disease, and not taking medication were also statistically significantly associated with non-urgent demand at the 95% confidence level (P<0.05). The most common reason for contacting the emergency services was cardiac problems (23.5% for the urgent demand group and 28% for the non-urgent demand group).
Conclusion: Place of residence, heart rate, oxygen levels, underlying diseases, and medication are associated with non-urgent demand for emergency services. Addressing these factors by authorities during decision-making and planning will help direct valuable financial and human resources toward responding to truly urgent demands.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study utilized information from 300 individuals who had contacted the emergency medical services of Tehran province in the first six months of 2021. Proportional sampling was conducted for two groups of individuals that had made urgent and non-urgent demands to the emergency medical services. Multivariate logistic regression and Chi-square statistical tests were used to analyze the data.
Results: More than one-third (33 percent) of all calls made to the emergency services of Tehran province were non-urgent demand. Place of residence, normal heart rate and oxygen level, underlying cardiovascular disease, and not taking medication were also statistically significantly associated with non-urgent demand at the 95% confidence level (P<0.05). The most common reason for contacting the emergency services was cardiac problems (23.5% for the urgent demand group and 28% for the non-urgent demand group).
Conclusion: Place of residence, heart rate, oxygen levels, underlying diseases, and medication are associated with non-urgent demand for emergency services. Addressing these factors by authorities during decision-making and planning will help direct valuable financial and human resources toward responding to truly urgent demands.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Health Services Management
Received: 2023/06/17 | Accepted: 2024/09/20 | Published: 2024/12/17
Received: 2023/06/17 | Accepted: 2024/09/20 | Published: 2024/12/17
References
1. Moineddin R, Meaney C, Agha M, Zagorski B, Glazier RH. Modeling factors influencing the demand for emergency department services in ontario: a comparison of methods. BMC Emerg Med. 2011; 11(1):13. doi:10.1186/1471-227X-11-13 [DOI:10.1186/1471-227X-11-13]
2. Hoikka M, Silfvast T, Ala-Kokko TI. A high proportion of prehospital emergency patients are not transported by ambulance: a retrospective cohort study in Northern Finland. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2017; 61(5):549-56 doi:10.1111/aas.12889 [DOI:10.1111/aas.12889]
3. Höglund E, Andersson-Hagiwara M, Schröder A, Möller M, Ohlsson-Nevo E. Characteristics of non-conveyed patients in emergency medical services (EMS): a one-year prospective descriptive and comparative study in a region of Sweden. BMC Emerg Med. 2020; 20(1):61 doi:10.1186/s12873-020-00353-8 [DOI:10.1186/s12873-020-00353-8]
4. Heinonen K, Puolakka T, Salmi H, Boyd J, Laiho M, Porthan K, et al. Ambulance crew‐initiated non‐conveyance in the Helsinki EMS system-a retrospective cohort study. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2022; 66(5):25-33. doi:10.1111/aas.14049 [DOI:10.1111/aas.14049]
5. Torabi M, Borhani F, Abbaszadeh A, Atashzadeh-Shoorideh F. Barriers to ethical decision-making for pre-hospital care professionals. Nurs Ethic. 2020; 27(2): 407-18. doi:10.1177/0969733019848044 [DOI:10.1177/0969733019848044]
6. Höglund E, Schröder A, Möller M, Andersson-Hagiwara M, Ohlsson-Nevo E. The ambulance nurse experiences of non-conveying patients. J Clin Nurs. 2019; 28(1-2): 235-44. doi:10.1111/jocn.14626 [DOI:10.1111/jocn.14626]
7. Cassettari SdSR, Mello ALSFd. Demand and type of care provided in emergency services in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil. Texto Contexto Enferm. 2017; 26.doi:10.1590/0104-07072017003400015 [DOI:10.1590/0104-07072017003400015]
8. Dejean D, Giacomini M, Welsford M, Schwartz L, Decicca P. Inappropriate ambulance use: a qualitative study of paramedics' views. Healthcare Policy. 2016; 11(3): 67-79. doi:10.12927/hcpol.2016.24535 [DOI:10.12927/hcpol.2016.24535]
9. Booker MJ, Purdy S, Shaw AR. Seeking ambulance treatment for 'primary care'problems: a qualitative systematic review of patient, carer and professional perspectives. BMJ Open. 2017; 7(8): e016832. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016832 [DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016832]
10. Alrazeeni DM, Sheikh SA, Mobrad A, Al Ghamdi M, Abdulqader N, Al Gadgab M, et al. Epidemiology of non-transported emergency medical services calls in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J. 2016; 37(5): 575-8. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.5.13872 [DOI:10.15537/smj.2016.5.13872]
11. Hjälte L, Suserud B-O, Herlitz J, Karlberg I. Why are people without medical needs transported by ambulance? a study of indications for pre-hospital care. Eur J Emerg Med. 2007; 14(3):151-6. doi:10.1097/MEJ.0b013e3280146508 [DOI:10.1097/MEJ.0b013e3280146508]
12. Afolabi MO, Folayan MO, Munung NS, Yakubu A, Ndow G, Jegede A, et al. Lessons from the Ebola epidemics and their applications for COVID-19 pandemic response in sub-Saharan Africa. Developing World Bioethics. 2021; 21(1): 25-30. doi:10.1111/dewb.12275 [DOI:10.1111/dewb.12275]
13. Yazaki H, Nishiura H. Ambulance transport of patients with mild conditions in Hokkaido, Japan. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(3):919. doi:10.3390/ijerph17030919 [DOI:10.3390/ijerph17030919]
14. Booker MJ, Shaw AR, Purdy S. Why do patients with 'primary care sensitive'problems access ambulance services? A systematic mapping review of the literature. BMJ Open. 2015; 5(5): e007726. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007726 [DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007726]
15. Ebrahimian A, Khalesi N, Mohamadi G, Tordeh M, Naghipour M. Transportation management in pre-hospital emergency with physiological early warning scores. Journal of Health Administration. 2012; 15(49):7-13. ]In Persian[. Available from: http://jha.iums.ac.ir/article-1-1015-en.html
16. Khankeh H, Alinia S, Masoumi G, Ranjbar M, Daddoost L, Hosseini S, et al. Prehospital services by focus on road traffic accidents: assessment developed and developing countries. J Promot Manag. 2013; 2(2):71-9. ]In Persian[ Available from: http://jhpm.ir/article-1-74-en.html
17. Malm F, Elfström A, Ohlsson-Nevo E, Höglund E. Time consumption for non-conveyed patients within emergency medical services (EMS): a one-year prospective descriptive and comparative study in a region of Sweden. Plos one. 2021; 16(5):e0251686. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0251686 [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0251686]
18. Coster JE, Turner JK, Bradbury D, Cantrell A. Why do people choose emergency and urgent care services? a rapid review utilizing a systematic literature search and narrative synthesis. Acad Emerg Med. 2017; 24(9): 1137-49. doi:10.1111/acem.13220 [DOI:10.1111/acem.13220]
19. Ebrahimian A, Babaei H, Fakhr-Movahedi A. Factors associated with unnecessary requests for an ambulance by non-traumatic patients after the acute earthquake responding phase: a qualitative content analysis. Nat Hazards. 2020; 103(2): 2009-20. doi:10.1007/s11069-020-04069-7 [DOI:10.1007/s11069-020-04069-7]
20. Bahadori M, Ghardashi F, Izadi AR, Ravangard R, Mirhashemi S, Hosseini SM. Pre-hospital emergency in Iran: a systematic review. Trauma Monthly. 2016; 21(2): e31382. doi:10.5812/traumamon.31382 [DOI:10.5812/traumamon.31382]
21. Arhami Dolatabadi A, Shahrami A, Amini A, Alimohammadi H, Maleki M. Evaluation of non-emergency cases using emergency department services. Iran J Emerg Med. 2017; 4(3): 96-101. ]In Persian]. doi:10.22037/ijem.v2i1.14437
22. Almutairi MN, El.Mahalli AA. Burnout and coping methods among emergency medical services professionals. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 2020; 13(null): 271-9. doi:10.2147/JMDH.S244303 [DOI:10.2147/JMDH.S244303]
23. Fleming S, Thompson M, Stevens R, Heneghan C, Plüddemann A, Maconochie I, et al. Normal ranges of heart rate and respiratory rate in children from birth to 18 years of age: a systematic review of observational studies. Lancet. 2011; 377(9770): 1011-8. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(10)62226-x [DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62226-X]
24. Lederman J, Lindström V, Elmqvist C, Löfvenmark C, Djärv T. Non-conveyance in the ambulance service: a population-based cohort study in Stockholm, Sweden. BMJ Open. 2020; 10(7):e036659. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036659 [DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036659]
25. 25 Aitavaara-Anttila M, Liisanantti J, Ehrola A, Spalding M, Ala-Kokko T, Raatiniemi L. Use of prehospital emergency medical services according to income of residential area. Emerg Med J. 2020; 37(7): 429-33. doi:10.1136/emermed-2019-208834 [DOI:10.1136/emermed-2019-208834]
26. Wong HT, Lin T-K, Lin J-J. Identifying rural-urban differences in the predictors of emergency ambulance service demand and misuse. J Formos Med Assoc. 2019; 118(1):324-31. doi:10.1016/j.jfma.2018.05.013 [DOI:10.1016/j.jfma.2018.05.013]
27. Akbulut M, Kaya AA, Çavuş K. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pre-hospital emergency medical services: the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on pre-hospital services. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2024; 18:e30. doi:10.1017/dmp.2024.23 [DOI:10.1017/dmp.2024.23]
28. Roivainen P, Hoikka MJ, Raatiniemi L, Silfvast T, Ala‐Kokko T, Kääriäinen M. Telephone triage performed by nurses reduces non‐urgent ambulance missions: a prospective observational pilot study in Finland. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2020; 64(4): 556-63. doi:10.1111/aas.13542 [DOI:10.1111/aas.13542]
29. Karmelić E, Lindlöf H, Luckhaus JL, Castillo MM, Vicente V, Härenstam KP, et al. Decision-making on the fly: a qualitative study of physicians in out-of-hospital emergency medical services. BMC Emerg Med. 2023; 23(1):65. doi:10.1186/s12873-023-00830-w [DOI:10.1186/s12873-023-00830-w]
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Site Keywords
Health, Administration, Scientific Article, Iran University of Medical Sciences,
