Extension of Selection Time for the Emergency Destination of Patients with a Fever Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Difference-in-differences Analysis.
Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2023-06-28 · Quasi-experimental
Abstract
Objective During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period, an extended total activity time (TAT) in emergency cases has been reported, especially in febrile patients. A brief selection time (ST) regarding the transport of patients to designated hospitals is vital to achieving a good outcome. However, to our knowledge, no studies have reported the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ST. We therefore examined the impact of a fever on the ST for the transportation of emergency patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We analyzed emergency medical services (EMS) data in Sapporo between January 2015 and December 2020. The primary outcome was the ST for the emergency destination of patients. The secondary outcomes were the number of inquiries, time from emergency call to arrival at the scene [call-to-scene time (CST)], time from arrival at the hospital to return base [arrival-to-return time (ART)], and TAT. We used a multivariable linear regression model to estimate the difference-in-differences effect. Results A total of 383,917 patients who were transported to the hospital were enrolled within the study period. The mean ST was 5.8 minutes in 2019 and 7.1 minutes in 2020. The difference-in-differences analyses showed that the mean ST increased by 2.52 minutes (p<0.001), the mean ART by 3.10 minutes (p<0.001), and the mean TAT by 7.27 minutes (p<0.001) for patients with a fever during the COVID-19 period. Conclusion This study showed that febrile patients had a longer ST, ART, and TAT during the 2020 COVID-19 period. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of future pandemics, regional infection control and information-sharing should be conducted to reduce the EMS activity time.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
COVID-19 pandemic · Time intervals
Related articles
- Effect of Designating Emergency Medical Centers for Critical Care on Emergency Medical Service Systems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Observational Study. (J Clin Med, 2022)
- Management of emergency department diversion during the COVID-19 pandemic and disaster periods. (Am J Disaster Med, 2022)
- Elimination of Emergency Department Ambulance Divert during the COVID-19 Pandemic Was Not Associated with an Increase in the Average Number of Ambulance Arrivals per Day. (Prehosp Emerg Care, 2024)
- Stroke network performance during the first COVID-19 pandemic stage: A meta-analysis based on stroke network models. (Int J Stroke, 2021)
- Influence of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Vulnerable Patients (Pediatric Patients, Pregnant Women, and Elderly Patients) on an Emergency Medical Service System: A Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Comparative Study Using the Population-Based ORION Registry. (Medicina (Kaunas), 2024)
- Factors associated with prolonged on-scene time in ambulance transportation among patients with minor diseases or injuries in Japan: a population-based observational study. (BMC Emerg Med, 2024)