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Circadian pattern of ambulance use for children in a Japanese city
1Department of Public Health, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan. kenoh@med.yokohoma-cu.ac.jp
Insights
Ambulance use for children in Yokohama shows a daily cycle, peaking in the evening. This pattern remained consistent between holidays and regular days, though overall usage varied.
Area of Science:
- Emergency medical services research
- Pediatric emergency care patterns
- Public health surveillance
Background:
- Understanding cyclic patterns in emergency events aids in event anticipation and medical service provision.
- Ambulance utilization exhibits temporal patterns that can inform resource allocation and public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To verify periodic fluctuations in ambulance use for pediatric patients in Yokohama, Japan.
- To determine if ambulance use patterns differ between holidays and ordinary days for children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of Yokohama city ambulance records for children (≤14 years) from 1994-2001.
- Application of a partial Fourier model and least squares method to analyze daily periodicity.
- Comparison of ambulance use patterns on holidays versus ordinary days.
Main Results:
- A distinct 24-hour periodicity in ambulance use for children was identified.
- Ambulance calls peaked in the evening and reached their lowest point in the early morning hours.
- While the daily pattern was similar on holidays and ordinary days, overall call frequencies differed significantly.
Conclusions:
- Ambulance utilization for pediatric emergencies demonstrates a clear diurnal pattern, with increased use in the late afternoon and evening.
- The established daily cycle of ambulance use for children is largely consistent regardless of whether the day is a holiday or an ordinary day.
Objectives:
Many emergency events have a unique cyclic pattern. Understanding the patterns is important for anticipating the events and for providing appropriate medical services. This study aimed at verifying periodic fluctuation in ambulance use for children in Yokohama, Japan, and determining whether the periodic pattern differs between holidays and ordinary days.
Methods:
The study comprised a retrospective analysis of Yokohama city ambulance records covering transport of children aged 14 years or less between January 1994 and December 2001. A partial Fourier model was used to compare the pattern of ambulance use on holidays with that on ordinary days. The least squares method was used to determine coefficients of the partial Fourier series.
Results:
Twenty-four-hour periodicity was observed in the use of ambulances for children. Ambulance use per hour peaked in the evening and bottomed in the early morning. The patterns were nearly identical between holidays and ordinary days, although the frequencies of ambulance use differed significantly between holidays and ordinary days.
Conclusions:
Ambulances are used for children more frequently from late afternoon to evening than in the morning.
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