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Social reactions to emergencies and illnesses: identifying the validity of EMS calls

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Bakalarski P., Jędral K., Przychodzeń B., Leszczyński P.

INTRODUCTION: Poland’s healthcare systems is based on insurance and universal and equal access. The first component of the system is primary healthcare. At night and on holidays, the medical help can be obtained by means of After Hours Medical Services. Private paid visits can also be arranged. In emergencies, and cases of risk to health or life, emergency medical team can be called at 112 or 999, or a patient can go to the hospital emergency department (ED) on their own. There are also pharmacies where selected over-the-counter medicines can be bought. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the first quarter of 2023 using a proprietary questionnaire with 5 sociodemographic questions and 20 case descriptions for which the participants indicated the type of medical help which they would use. The expert panel prepared a set of cases (accidents and illnesses), taking into account patient’s age and gender, time of day and working days and holidays when the incident occurred. The group of participants was selected using the snowball sampling method. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using nonparametric tests, the Spearman’s rho test and the Wilcoxon test. The used significance level was p<0.05. RESULTS: The study comprised 233 participants (166 females and 66 males). The mean age was 25 years (SD ± 9.50). A significant correlation was showed between the decision made and the gender in case of stroke occurring on a weekday (p=0.042); stroke symptoms on a holiday (p=0.024); head injury in a child (p=0,024); chest pain in an adult (p=0.009), and also the place of residence in case of an infection in a child (p=0.008). The decision was also influenced by education in case of chest pain in an adult (p=0.048); stroke (p=0.046) and sudden weakness (p=0.009). Also performing a medical profession correlated with the decision in case of arterial hypertension (p=0.028) and chest pain (p=0.010) in adults. The type of day (working/holiday) and the time of day were also analysed, revealing statistical differences depending on the type and time of day for infection in a child (p<0.000 in each comparison); working day and holiday for abdominal pain (p=0.000), stroke (p=0.023), diarrhea (p<0.000) and weakness (p<0.000), and also depending on the time of day in arterial hypertension (p<0.000); however, no differences were found in case of chest pain depending on the time of day(p=0.073). CONCLUSIONS: Emergency medical teams are called both in urgent cases, such as stroke or chest pain, and also in cases that do not require an immediate responses, such as diarrhea or weakness. Solutions need to be sought which would provide information what healthcare system units should be used in specific situations. The EMTs are called more often during the day on weekdays than at night or on holidays. The ambulance service responds most often in emergency cases such as convulsions, stroke or chest pain, but a significant number of calls is related to cases of weakness or arterial hypertension where the medical help should be sought in other healthcare units.

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1 Critical Care Innovations

1 2023

1 Bakalarski P.

1 Jędral K.

1 Leszczyński P.

1 Przychodzeń B.

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Social reactions to emergencies and illnesses: identifying the validity of EMS calls