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. 2021 Sep 9;21(1):102.
doi: 10.1186/s12873-021-00495-3.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on trauma-related emergency medical service calls: a retrospective cohort study

Michael Azbel  1   2 , Mikko Heinänen  3   4 , Mitja Lääperi  5 , Markku Kuisma  5
Affiliations

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on trauma-related emergency medical service calls: a retrospective cohort study

Michael Azbel et al. BMC Emerg Med. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on the utilization of health care services, including Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Social distancing measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease have greatly affected the functioning of societies and reduced or halted many activities with a risk of injury. The aim of this study was to report the effects of lockdown measures on trauma-related EMS calls in the Finnish capital area.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all EMS calls in the Helsinki University Hospital (HUH) catchment area between 1 January and 31 July 2020. Calls were identified from the HUH EMS database. Calls were grouped into pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods according to the restrictions set by the Finnish government and compared to the mean number of calls for the corresponding periods in 2018 and 2019. Statistical comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney U-test for weekly numbers and percentages.

Results: During the study period there was a total of 70,705 EMS calls, of which 14,998 (21.2%) were related to trauma; 67,973 patients (median age 61.6 years; IQR 35.3-78.6) were met by EMS. There was no significant change in the weekly number of total or trauma-related EMS calls during the pre-lockdown period. During the lockdown period, the number of weekly total EMS calls was reduced by 12.2% (p = 0.001) and the number of trauma-related calls was reduced by 23.3% (p = 0.004). The weekly number of injured patients met by EMS while intoxicated with alcohol was reduced by 41.8% (p = 0.002). During the post-lockdown period, the number of total and trauma-related calls and the number of injured patients intoxicated by alcohol returned to previous years' levels.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures reduced the number of trauma-related EMS calls. Lockdown measures had an especially significant effect on the number of injured patients intoxicated by alcohol met by the EMS.

Trial registration: Not applicable.

Keywords: Alcohol; COVID-19; Emergency medical service; Prehospital trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentage of weekly total EMS calls and trauma-related calls compared with the first week of 2020. Timeline: 1. 9 March, beginning of the “lockdown” period. 2. 31 May, end of the “lockdown” period
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Proportion of trauma-related calls by injury type during lockdown period
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Proportion of trauma-related calls by dispatch triage class during lockdown period
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Percentage of weekly trauma-related EMS calls for patients intoxicated by alcohol. Timeline: 1. 9 March, beginning of the “lockdown” period. 2. 31 May, end of the “lockdown” period
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