[System and skill utilization in an Austrian emergency physician system: retrospective study]

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Preclinical Care Systems
• Public Health

Background:

• Rising emergency physician calls and low mission indication rates decrease job attractiveness.
• This staffing shortage impacts service availability in some regions.
• A retrospective analysis assessed interventions in a ground-based emergency physician response system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the frequency of specific emergency and general medical interventions.
• To analyze the utilization patterns of emergency physician response systems.
• To assess the efficiency and patient-centeredness of preclinical emergency care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of anonymized electronic documentation data (2010-2018).
• Categorization of interventions into specific emergency (I), general medical (II), and no medical activity (III).
• Calculation of intervention frequencies per 100,000 inhabitants.

Main Results:

• 15,409 primary responses analyzed, with 12,044 patient contacts after cancellations.
• Category I (specific emergency) interventions: 18%; Category II (general medical): 47%; Category III (no activity): 35%.
• Estimated incidences: 157/100,000 for specific emergency measures, 409/100,000 for general medical interventions.

Conclusions:

• The majority of call-outs did not require specific emergency physician interventions.
• Current preclinical care models may not be patient-oriented or efficient.
• Low rates of critical cases reduce physician attractiveness and risk quality due to insufficient routine and training.