The Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Emergency Medical Service: An Analysis of Patient Transportations and Time Intervals.

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

SUBMITTER: Park YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10615634 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature