PMID- 35913182
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20220803
LR  - 20220803
IS  - 1932-149X (Print)
IS  - 1932-149X (Linking)
VI  - 17
IP  - 1
DP  - 2022 Winter
TI  - Changes in EMS utilization in the state of Maryland during the first 6 months of 
      the COVID-19 pandemic.
PG  - 41-48
LID - ajdm.2022.0418 [pii]
LID - 10.5055/ajdm.2022.0418 [doi]
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Emergency medical services (EMS) is an invaluable 
      healthcare resource, providing life-saving care in the prehospital setting. 
      During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been concerns that healthcare resources, 
      including EMS, would be overwhelmed by the potential surge in critically ill 
      patients. This study seeks to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on 
      EMS utilization in the state of Maryland. METHODS: A retrospective review of data 
      from the Maryland Emergency Medical Services Data System was performed. EMS call 
      volumes were compared from March 1 to August 31 in the years 2018, 2019, and 
      2020. In addition, adult cases from the three time periods that contained an EMS 
      impression of stroke, cardiac arrest, asthma, traumatic injury, ST elevation 
      myocardial infarction (STEMI), sepsis, and overdose were also analyzed. RESULTS: 
      There was a significant decrease in overall EMS call volumes in the state of 
      Maryland in the first 6 months of 2020 compared to the prior 2 years. While the 
      total number of calls decreased, a higher proportion of patients in 2020 had EMS 
      impressions of cardiac arrest, STEMI, stroke, and traumatic injury compared to 
      the previous 2 years. Additionally, there was an increase in termination of 
      resuscitation for out of hospital cardiac arrest. CONCLUSION: In the state of 
      Maryland, overall call volumes decreased, but the proportion of EMS patients with 
      time-sensitive illnesses increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FAU - Jasani, Gregory
AU  - Jasani G
AD  - Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, 
      Baltimore, Maryland. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3550-5995.
FAU - Alemayehu, Teferra
AU  - Alemayehu T
AD  - Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, Maryland.
FAU - Chizmar, Timothy
AU  - Chizmar T
AD  - Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, Maryland.
FAU - Wilson, Lucy
AU  - Wilson L
AD  - Department of Emergency Health Services, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 
      Baltimore, Maryland.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Am J Disaster Med
JT  - American journal of disaster medicine
JID - 101291100
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - *COVID-19/epidemiology
MH  - *Emergency Medical Services
MH  - Humans
MH  - Maryland/epidemiology
MH  - *Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
MH  - Pandemics
MH  - Retrospective Studies
MH  - *ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/epidemiology
MH  - *Stroke
EDAT- 2022/08/02 06:00
MHDA- 2022/08/04 06:00
CRDT- 2022/08/01 09:05
PHST- 2022/08/01 09:05 [entrez]
PHST- 2022/08/02 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2022/08/04 06:00 [medline]
AID - ajdm.2022.0418 [pii]
AID - 10.5055/ajdm.2022.0418 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Am J Disaster Med. 2022 Winter;17(1):41-48. doi: 10.5055/ajdm.2022.0418.