May 7, 2021

Changes in Emergency Medical Services before and during COVID 19 in the United States, January 2018-December 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): public health

• A retrospective study of emergency medical service activations between 2018 and 2020 found that  while the number of activations decreased in 2020, increases in the proportion of activations for on scene death (1.3% to 2.4%), cardiac arrest (1.3% to 2.2%), and opioid use/overdose (0.6 to 1.6%) were observed compared to 2018-2019. These frequencies subsequently declined but remained  above pre-pandemic levels through the end of 2020. The authors suggest that these changes may be  related to disruptions in access to healthcare, particularly for substance use disorders and mental  health conditions. 

Handberry et al. (May 2021). Changes in Emergency Medical Services before and during COVID 19 in the United States, January 2018-December 2020. Clinical Infectious Diseases: An Official  Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab373