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Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2022;33(3): 239-251. |
| 발열 또는 호흡기 증상 유무에 따른 119구급대 활동 시간 변화: 코로나 19 유행 전후 비교 |
서일환1,2
, 김병권2,3
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1부산남부소방서 광안119안전센터
2동아대학교대학원 기업재난관리학과
3동아대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실 |
| Changes in the activity times of 119 ambulance units according to the presence of fever or respiratory symptoms: comparison before and after the pandemic of COVID-19 |
| Il Hwan Seo1,2
, Byoung-Gwon Kim2,3
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1Gwangan 119 Safety Center, Busan Nambu Fire Station, Busan, Korea
2Department of Disaster and Emergency Management, Graduate School, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea
3Department of Preventive Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea |
| Correspondence |
Byoung-Gwon Kim ,Tel: 051-240-2770, Fax: 051-253-5729, Email: medikim@dau.ac.kr,
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Received: June 3, 2021; Revised: October 19, 2021 Accepted: January 31, 2022. Published online: June 30, 2022. |
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| ABSTRACT |
Objective:
We sought to compare the activity times of the 119 service ambulance units before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic based on emergency medical service reports.
Method:
This study analyzed the emergency medical service reports (1.26-10.31) of 69 ambulance units belonging to the Busan Fire Department in 2019 (before) and 2020 (after) the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study to understand the changes in the activity times (response time, scene time interval, transport time interval, total prehospital time, turnaround time interval, and total activity time) according to the presence of fever or respiratory symptoms (symptom group). The data used for analysis included 150,771 cases, of which 79,121 were in 2019 and 71,650 in 2020, excluding incomplete transfer reports (128,082).
Results:
There was a total decrease of 7,471 cases in 2020. Compared to 2019, the dispatch and transport distance, outer dispatch jurisdiction, and transport to university hospitals increased. That was found to be greater in the symptom group than in the no symptom group. In the yearly comparison of activity times, there were significant differences in all the activity times and an overall increase in 2020. The increase in the active times was greater in the symptom group than in the no symptom group.
Conclusion:
In this study, the activity times of the 119 service ambulance units after the COVID-19 showed an increase compared to the pre-COVID period. Therefore, the concerned people must identify the factors which lead to delays and prepare a plan to shorten the activity times, thereby reducing the fatigue of paramedics and providing the means to enhance assistance for the well-being of patients. |
| Key words:
COVID-19; 119 Ambulance unit; Activity time; Emergency medical services |
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