Emergency Medical Services Response Time and Mortality in Paediatric Trauma Patients in the Urban Setting: A Cohort Study

Date
2015-09-29
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Abstract
Introduction: The standard for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response times has been set at eight minutes or less in many places in the world. We examined the relationship between trauma related mortality and morbidity and EMS response time. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of paediatric patients under the age of 18 who suffered a traumatic injury and were attended to by EMS in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta between April 2010 and September 2013 Results: The adjusted risk ratio of mortality given a response time of ≥8 minutes is 0.635 times that of a response time <8 minutes (95% CI: 0.346-1.166; p=0.143). The adjusted risk ratio of admission to hospital given a response time of >8 minutes is 1.165 times that of a response time <8 minutes (95% CI: 0.985-1.379; p=0.075). Conclusions: The eight minute response time was not associated with a difference in all cause mortality or admission to hospital.
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Epidemiology
Citation
Couperthwaite, A. B. (2015). Emergency Medical Services Response Time and Mortality in Paediatric Trauma Patients in the Urban Setting: A Cohort Study (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25875