Supervisors info:
Κοτσόπουλος Νικόλαος, Ακαδημαϊκός Υπότροφος, Τμήμα Οικονομικών Επιστημών, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Abstract
Objectives: Scope of this study is to present the longitudinal evolution of emergency calls to the headquarters of the National Centre for Emergency Care in Athens, for the period 2019 – 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis was administered of all calls to National Centre for Emergency Care in Athens for the period 2019-2021. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the calls during the lockdown periods were analyzed further.
Results: During the period under analysis, National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAB) receives an average of 350,000 calls per year in the region of Attica, of which it conveys two thirds of them. However, during 2020 - the year of the outbreak of the pandemic crisis of COVID-19 - calls decrease by 14% and especially during the period of the first lockdown (March-April) by 33%. There is a significant reduction in calls concerning trauma (traffic accidents) by 21% and cardiovascular diseases by 22%, while the percentage of non-transports is also increasing. At the same time, over the same time period, one of the few types of calls that was increased was the “psychiatric/suicide attempts” calls. However, in 2021 calls are back to 2021 levels, despite the fact that Greece was in the second lockdown for the first four months.
Conclusions: These findings contribute to understanding the operational response of the National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAB) of Athens in terms of outputs (calls - conveys), and to understand the trends and change in demand for prehospital care during pandemics, with the aim of better future planning and preparation in corresponding conditions.
Keywords:
Key words: National Centre for Emergency Care, EKAB, Emergency Medical Services, COVID-19 pandemic
