TABLE 1.
Description of emergency medical services (EMS) calls
| Variable | All EMS calls (n = 76,233) |
|---|---|
| Patient | |
| Female | 55.5% |
| Age, years | 59.5 (22.5) |
| Number of prior EMS calls during past 365 days | 1 (0–3) |
| Living in a nursing home | 4.7% |
| Death within 30 days after non‐conveyance | 1.3% |
| Dispatch | |
| Person who made EMS call | |
| Patient | 35.1% |
| Family member | 21.0% |
| Bystander | 24.3% |
| Medical professional | 9.4% |
| Police or rescue department responder | 1.3% |
| Final dispatch code | |
| Malaise | 15.0% |
| Suspected decline in vital functions | 14.0% |
| Falling over | 12.9% |
| Chest pain | 8.9% |
| Musculoskeletal pain | 6.3% |
| Shortness of breath | 5.8% |
| Mental illness | 2.7% |
| Other | 34.4% |
| Dispatch triage level | |
| A | 2.3% |
| B | 19.4% |
| C | 49.3% |
| D | 28.8% |
| EMS call | |
| Highest level of non‐physician unit on scene | |
| Basic life support | 78.2% |
| Advanced life support | 21.2% |
| First responder unit (fire engine) only | 0.1% |
| EMS physician on‐scene | 0.9% |
| EMS physician consulted | 12.0% |
| On‐scene time, minutes | 21.0 (16–29) |
| Measurements taken | |
| Heart rate | 95.0% |
| Blood pressure | 94.8% |
| Blood oxygen saturation | 87.6% |
| Body temperature | 69.1% |
| Level of consciousness | 63.0% |
| Respiratory rate | 47.1% |
| Breath alcohol content | 30.9% |
| Treatment given | |
| Intravenous fluids | 2.2% |
| Any medication | 0.9% |
| Supplemental oxygen | 0.1% |
| Reason for non‐conveyance | |
| No transport required | 88.3% |
| Treated on the scene | 5.0% |
| Other means of transport | 4.9% |
| Taken into police custody | 1.5% |
| Other assistance requested | 0.3% |
Data are presented as mean (standard deviation), median (interquartile range), or percentage.