<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
FRIDAY, Feb. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Longer emergency medical service (EMS) response times are associated with higher rates of motor vehicle crash (MVC) mortality, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in JAMA Surgery<\/i>.<\/p>\n
James P. Byrne, M.D., Ph.D., from the Sunnybrooke Health Sciences Center in Toronto, and colleagues examined the correlation between EMS response times and MVC mortality in a population-based study in 2,268 U.S. counties, representing an estimated population of 239,464,121 people.<\/p>\n
The researchers identified 2,214,480 ambulance responses to MVCs during the study period. The median county response time was nine minutes; after adjustment for measures of rurality, on-scene and transport times, access to trauma resources, and traffic safety laws, there was a significant correlation for longer response times with higher rates of MVC mortality (\u226512 versus <7 minutes; mortality rate ratio, 1.46). The finding was consistent in rural\/wilderness and urban\/suburban settings; a considerable proportion of crash fatalities (rural\/wilderness, 9.9 percent; urban\/suburban, 14.1 percent) were correlated with prolonged response times (median value, \u226510 and \u22657 minutes, respectively).<\/p>\n
“These data have important implications for trauma system design and health policy because they suggest that efforts to address regional disparities in MVC mortality should evaluate EMS response times as a potential contributor,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n