Epidemiology of emergency ambulance service calls related to COVID-19 in Scotland: a national record linkage study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

COVID-19 has overwhelmed health services across the world; its global death toll has exceeded 5.3 million and continues to grow. There have been almost 15 million cases of COVID-19 in the UK. The need for rapid accurate identification, appropriate clinical care and decision making, remains a priority for UK ambulance service. To support identification and conveyance decisions of patients presenting with COVID-19 symptoms the Scottish Ambulance Service introduced the revised Medical Priority Dispatch System Protocol 36, enhanced physician led decision support and prehospital clinical guidelines. This study aimed to characterise the impact of these changes on the pathways and outcomes of people attended by the SAS) with potential COVID-19.

Methods

A retrospective re

SUBMITTER: Fitzpatrick D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8795941 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature