The Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Emergency Medical Service: An Analysis of Patient Transportations and Time Intervals.
Journal of Korean Medical Science · 2023-10-30 · Observational study
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system in South Korea. The study focused on the differences in EMS time intervals following the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly for patients with fever. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of EMS patient transportation data from 2017 to 2022 was conducted using the national EMS database. RESULTS: Starting from the year 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 outbreak, all EMS time intervals experienced an increase. For the years 2017 to 2022, the mean response time interval values were 8.6, 8.6, 8.6, 10.2, 12.8, and 11.4 minutes, and the mean scene time interval values were 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, 9.0, 9.8, and 10.9 minutes. The mean transport time interval (TTI) values were 12.1, 12.3, 12.4, 14.2, 16.9, and 16.2 minutes, and the mean turnaround time interval values were 27.6, 27.9, 28.7, 35.2, 42.0, and 43.1 minutes. Fever (≥ 37.5°C) patients experienced more pronounced prolongations in EMS time intervals compared to non-fever patients and had a higher probability of being non-transported. The mean differences in TTI between fever and non-fever patients were 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, 4.3, 4.8, and 3.2 minutes, respectively, from 2017 to 2022. Furthermore, the odds ratios for fever patients being transported to the emergency department were 2.7, 2.9, 2.8, 1.1, 0.8, and 0.7, respectively, from 2017 to 2022. CONCLUSION: The study findings highlight the significant impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the EMS system and emphasize the importance of ongoing monitoring to evaluate the burden on the EMS system.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
COVID-19 pandemic · Time intervals
Related articles
- Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke response times: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (J Neurointerv Surg, 2022)
- Stroke network performance during the first COVID-19 pandemic stage: A meta-analysis based on stroke network models. (Int J Stroke, 2021)
- A Retrospective Analysis of Nearly 3,000,000 Non-COVID-19 Mid- and High-Priority Ambulance Activations Before and During COVID-19: A National Study from Saudi Arabia. (Healthcare (Basel), 2026)
- International Comparison of Ambulance Time Intervals for Suspected Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack Across 7 Emergency Medical Services Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. (J Am Heart Assoc, 2026)
- Declining Ambulance Offload Delays and Stabilised Emergency Department Length of Stay Post-COVID: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis. (Clin Exp Emerg Med, 2026)
- The Association Between Access Block And Ambulance Ramping, And The Impact of COVID-19: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study of 25 Queensland Hospitals. (Med J Aust, 2026)