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Epidemiology of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Utilization in Four Indian Emergency Departments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2016

Olindi Wijesekera ,
Amanda Reed ,
Parker S. Chastain ,
Shauna Biggs ,
Elizabeth G. Clark ,
Tamorish Kole ,
Anoop T. Chakrapani ,
Nandy Ashish ,
Prasad Rajhans  and
Alan H. Breaud
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Olindi Wijesekera
Affiliation:
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Amanda Reed
Affiliation:
Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Parker S. Chastain
Affiliation:
Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Shauna Biggs
Affiliation:
Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Elizabeth G. Clark
Affiliation:
Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Tamorish Kole
Affiliation:
Max Hospital, New Delhi, India
Anoop T. Chakrapani
Affiliation:
Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Nandy Ashish
Affiliation:
Fortis Hospital Anandapur, Kolkata, India
Prasad Rajhans
Affiliation:
Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India
Alan H. Breaud
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Gabrielle A. Jacquet*
Affiliation:
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsUSA Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MassachusettsUSA Boston University Center for Global Health and Development, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
*
Correspondence: Gabrielle A. Jacquet, MD, MPH Department of Emergency Medicine Boston Medical Center Dowling 1 South Emergency, 1 BMC Place Boston, Massachusetts 02118 USA E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction

Without a universal Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system in India, data on the epidemiology of patients who utilize EMS are limited. This retrospective chart review aimed to quantify and describe the burden of disease and patient demographics of patients who arrived by EMS to four Indian emergency departments (EDs) in order to inform a national EMS curriculum.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed on patients transported by EMS over a three-month period in 2014 to four private EDs in India. A total of 17,541 patient records were sampled from the four sites over the study period. Of these records, 1,723 arrived by EMS and so were included for further review.

Results

A range of 1.4%-19.4% of ED patients utilized EMS to get to the ED. The majority of EMS patients were male (59%-64%) and adult or geriatric (93%-99%). The most common chief complaints and ED diagnoses were neurological, pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, trauma, and infectious disease.

Conclusions

Neurological, pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, trauma, and infectious disease are the most common problems found in patients transported by EMS in India. Adult and geriatric male patients are the most common EMS utilizers. Emergency Medical Services curricula should emphasize these knowledge areas and skills.

WijesekeraO, ReedA, ChastainPS, BiggsS, ClarkEG, KoleT, ChakrapaniAT, AshishN, RajhansP, BreaudAH, JacquetGA. Epidemiology of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Utilization in Four Indian Emergency Departments. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(6):675–679.

Keywords

Emergency Medical Servicesemergency medical techniciansemergency medicineIndiaprehospital emergency care
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 31 , Issue 6 , December 2016 , pp. 675 - 679
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2016 

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