Comparing Prehospital Time Among Pediatric Poisoning Patients in Rural and Urban Settings.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Toxicology
• Public Health

Background:

• Healthcare access in rural areas presents challenges for timely pediatric poisoning treatment.
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role in prehospital care for poisoned children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare EMS response times and delays for pediatric poisoning incidents between rural and urban settings.
• To identify disparities in prehospital care based on geographic location.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2021 National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS).
• Included 11,911 pediatric patients (<18 years) with a primary impression of poisoning.
• Employed rank-sum, chi-square, quantile regression, and logistic regression for analysis.

Main Results:

• Median total prehospital time was 40 minutes; scene delay was the most common (6%).
• Rural EMS patients experienced significantly longer prehospital times (6.6 minutes longer, P<0.001).
• No significant differences were found in dispatch, response, scene, or transportation delays between rural and urban EMS.

Conclusions:

• Findings underscore the need for equitable resource allocation and enhanced training for rural EMS responders.
• The extended prehospital time in rural areas poses greater physiological risks to pediatric patients.
• Targeted interventions are crucial to improve rural pediatric emergency care and achieve geographic equity.