Analyzing emergency call volume, call durations, and unanswered calls during the first two waves of the COVID-19...

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Public health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare systems, including emergency medical services.
• Measures like stay-at-home orders affected emergency call centers.
• This study investigates the pandemic's effect on emergency number 112 call volumes, duration, and unanswered calls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency call center operations.
• To quantify changes in call volume, call duration, and unanswered calls during the pandemic.
• To assess the capacity of emergency dispatch centers during the initial phases of the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, descriptive study analyzing 986,650 calls to seven Bavarian emergency dispatch centers (January 2019 - May 2021).
• Data included absolute call numbers, calls per 100,000 inhabitants, and unanswered calls.
• Mann-Whitney U test compared mean call durations between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Main Results:

• Overall call volume decreased during the pandemic, with the most significant drop (-12.9%) during the first lockdown.
• A substantial reduction in emergency calls (-25.3%) was observed on weekends during the second lockdown.
• Emergency call duration increased, particularly during periods of less stringent restrictions ('light' lockdown), and the rate of unanswered calls remained consistent with pre-pandemic levels.

Conclusions:

• Bavarian emergency dispatch centers experienced reduced call volumes and increased call durations during the first two pandemic waves.
• Extended call durations may be attributed to screening for potential COVID-19 infections.
• The stable number of unanswered calls suggests that dispatch centers maintained operational capacity throughout the study period.