Emergency Medical Service in the Elderly Population in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Gerontology & geriatric medicine · 2024-01-01 · Observational study
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.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
COVID-19 pandemic · Older adults
Related articles
- Geospatial and Temporal Analysis of Emergency Medical Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Astana, Kazakhstan. (Port J Public Health, 2026)
- [Organization of emergency medical care for older age groups of the population.]. (Adv Gerontol, 2025)
- Not only COVID-19 disease impacts ambulance emergency demands but also lockdowns and quarantines. (BMC Emerg Med, 2023)
- Lived Experience of Emergency Health Care Utilization during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study. (Prehosp Disaster Med, 2021)
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergency transportation of older patients: a population-based descriptive study in Osaka prefecture, Japan. (Front Public Health, 2025)
- 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)