Geospatial Mapping of EMS-Dispatched Falls Among Older Adults: Five-Year Descriptive Study

Falls are a leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality among older adults and account for substantial Emergency Medical Services (EMS) utilization. Despite their frequency, few studies have examined the geographic distribution of fall-related EMS responses, and few trauma centers have leveraged EMS-derived data to identify high-risk communities.

To examine fall-related EMS calls among adults aged 65 years and older, describe patient and incident characteristics, and use Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping to identify areas with high event-based utilization rate of dispatched falls to support injury prevention efforts.

This retrospective descriptive study examined 5 years of EMS call records from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2024. Cases were included when the primary dispatch complaint indicated a fall, and the patient was aged 65 years or older. Duplicate records were removed using deterministic matching. County-level event-based utilization rates were calculated using population estimates. GIS mapping was used to visualize county-level rates and ZIP code-level counts of fall-related EMS activity.

A total of 43,920 fall-related EMS calls met inclusion criteria. County-level event-based utilization rates ranged from 2397 to 4167 per 10,000 older adults. Most events occurred in private residences (67.04%), involved advanced life support-level EMS units (85.16%), and resulted in patient transport (67.76%). The mean patient age was 81.33 years.

Falls among older adults place a substantial burden on EMS and trauma systems. GIS-based mapping of EMS data may help inform trauma center injury prevention planning and identify communities where targeted outreach may reduce injury risk.