Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls
Objective: Falls are a major challenge to public health, particularly among older adults. Understanding factors that influence fall risk is pivotal in the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries. This study evaluated the timing of emergency medical service (EMS) activations for falls and trans...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-06-01
|
| Series: | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307824000171 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846159411175751680 |
|---|---|
| author | Elizabeth Sheridan, MPH, MACPR Jessica M. Wiseman, MPH Carmen E. Quatman, MD, PhD |
| author_facet | Elizabeth Sheridan, MPH, MACPR Jessica M. Wiseman, MPH Carmen E. Quatman, MD, PhD |
| author_sort | Elizabeth Sheridan, MPH, MACPR |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: Falls are a major challenge to public health, particularly among older adults. Understanding factors that influence fall risk is pivotal in the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries. This study evaluated the timing of emergency medical service (EMS) activations for falls and transport patterns for adults age ≥65. Methods: A patient care report system at a single fire-based emergency medical service agency in a suburban, Midwest city was retrospectively reviewed. Type of call (lift assist/fall), time of injury (time, day, and month), and demographics (sex, age) were collected for residents age ≥65 who activated 9–1–1 for a lift assist or fall. Results: 1169 calls met inclusion criteria. Mornings and afternoons were the time of day associated with falls (33 % and 36 % of EMS activations, respectively, vs. 21 % and 10 % for evenings and nights, respectively; p = 0.002) while day of the week and month were not associated with falls or lift assists. More males requested lift assists than females (256 vs. 238) and more females called for falls than males (408 vs. 267; p < 0.001). Falls were more likely to be associated with transport to the hospital than lift assists (78% vs. 7 %). Female sex was associated with increased risk for transport to the hospital (60 % of females vs. 40 % of males; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Mornings and afternoons were associated with increased risk for falls and sex (female) with increased risk for transport to the hospital. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a5f2acb915374364803e9a6ab0f54511 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2950-3078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
| spelling | doaj-art-a5f2acb915374364803e9a6ab0f545112024-11-23T06:36:07ZengElsevierArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus2950-30782024-06-0112100020Timing of emergency medical services activations for fallsElizabeth Sheridan, MPH, MACPR0Jessica M. Wiseman, MPH1Carmen E. Quatman, MD, PhD2Division of Trauma, Department of Orthopaedics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; Corresponding author.Division of Trauma, Department of Orthopaedics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USADivision of Trauma, Department of Orthopaedics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USAObjective: Falls are a major challenge to public health, particularly among older adults. Understanding factors that influence fall risk is pivotal in the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries. This study evaluated the timing of emergency medical service (EMS) activations for falls and transport patterns for adults age ≥65. Methods: A patient care report system at a single fire-based emergency medical service agency in a suburban, Midwest city was retrospectively reviewed. Type of call (lift assist/fall), time of injury (time, day, and month), and demographics (sex, age) were collected for residents age ≥65 who activated 9–1–1 for a lift assist or fall. Results: 1169 calls met inclusion criteria. Mornings and afternoons were the time of day associated with falls (33 % and 36 % of EMS activations, respectively, vs. 21 % and 10 % for evenings and nights, respectively; p = 0.002) while day of the week and month were not associated with falls or lift assists. More males requested lift assists than females (256 vs. 238) and more females called for falls than males (408 vs. 267; p < 0.001). Falls were more likely to be associated with transport to the hospital than lift assists (78% vs. 7 %). Female sex was associated with increased risk for transport to the hospital (60 % of females vs. 40 % of males; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Mornings and afternoons were associated with increased risk for falls and sex (female) with increased risk for transport to the hospital.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307824000171Fall riskEMS activation patternsFalls epidemiologyCommunity-based public health |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth Sheridan, MPH, MACPR Jessica M. Wiseman, MPH Carmen E. Quatman, MD, PhD Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus Fall risk EMS activation patterns Falls epidemiology Community-based public health |
| title | Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls |
| title_full | Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls |
| title_fullStr | Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls |
| title_full_unstemmed | Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls |
| title_short | Timing of emergency medical services activations for falls |
| title_sort | timing of emergency medical services activations for falls |
| topic | Fall risk EMS activation patterns Falls epidemiology Community-based public health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307824000171 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elizabethsheridanmphmacpr timingofemergencymedicalservicesactivationsforfalls AT jessicamwisemanmph timingofemergencymedicalservicesactivationsforfalls AT carmenequatmanmdphd timingofemergencymedicalservicesactivationsforfalls |