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Regional disparities in 119 Emergency medical services response times in South Korea: A focus on Busan
Hyeji Kwon1, Ansun Jeong2, Jiwon Kim3
1Institute for Health and Society, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background:
Busan, a densely populated metropolitan city in South Korea, has seen a continuous increase in 119 emergency calls.
Objectives:
This study investigates the spatial distribution of 119 ambulance response times across Busan to identify regional disparities and provide policy recommendations for enhancing emergency medical services (EMS).
Methods:
Data from the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters for the year 2023 were analyzed, including dispatch times, on-site arrival times, patient contact times, travel distances, and administrative region information. The analysis was conducted at the level of 192 administrative divisions (eup, myeon, and dong) in Busan. Spatial autocorrelation was assessed using Moran's I to identify regions with longer or shorter response times and travel distances (hot spots and cold spots). T-tests were used to compare demographic and geographic characteristics between hot spot and cold spot areas.
Results:
A total of 21 regions (10.9 %) were identified as hot spots for both average response time and distance to incident sites. Disparities tended to widen moving from central Busan toward the outskirts. The average response time in hot spot areas was 12.0 min, compared to 9.8 min in cold spots. The average travel distance to incident sites was 3.5 km in hot spots and 1.3 km in cold spots. Hot spot areas were characterized by larger elderly male population, higher frequencies of emergency patients, and notably more cases of cardiac arrest.
Conclusions:
This study confirms spatial disparities in EMS provision across Busan and underscores the need for region-specific policies to improve equitable emergency care access.
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