Factors associated with a prolonged emergency medical  services on-scene time

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify epidemiological factors contributing to the prolongation of on-scene time in emergency medical services (EMS). 

Methods: A total of 2,575,738 cases from nationwide emergency transport data in 2019 were analyzed, excluding interhospital transfers, minor cases, cases involving on-scene physicians, and missing data. The factors influencing the extension of the on-scene time were assessed using multivariate linear regression with the least-squares method.

Results: The estimated on-scene time was 15.84 minutes. Multivariate analysis revealed that multiple hospital contacts (20.96 min), cases occurring in the Kanto region (19.12 min), elderly patients (18.77 min), and nonurgent cases (16.54 min) were factors associated with prolonged on-scene time. Conversely, cases involving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (14.49 min) were found to shorten on-scene time.

Conclusion: Multiple hospital communications to determine the destination medical facility were identified as the primary factors contributing to the prolongation of on-scene time. Regional disparities in on-scene times were observed, highlighting the challenges posed by the imbalance between emergency demands and available medical resources.