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

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. @*Methods@#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.