ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of a public access defibrillator (PAD) increases the probability of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). No strategies exist, however, for the optimal distribution of PADs in an urban area in order to meet existing needs and ensure equal access for all potential users. It thus seems likely that the accessibility of PADs on the spatial level varies widely as a function of living circumstances. METHODS: This cross-sectional study is based on registry data concerning PAD (2022, n = 776) and OHCA (2018-2020, n = 4051), along with data on socioeconomic factors on the spatial level in Berlin (12 districts and 137 subdistricts). Associations of socioeconomic factors with the number of PADs per 10 000 inhabitants and the PAD coverage rate of sites of previous OHCAs were investigated. RESULTS: The median number of PADs per 10 000 inhabitants ranged from 0.46 to 2.67 at the district level, and only five districts had a median PAD coverage rate of sites of previous OHCAs above 0%, after aggregation of the analyses at the subdistrict level. Subdistricts with a more favorable economic status and a greater income disparity had a higher PAD density. Socially disadvantaged subdistricts had no association with PAD density. CONCLUSION: There are large deficits in the distribution of PADs at the small-scale spatial level in Berlin with respect to the goals of meeting existing needs and ensuring equal access for all potential users. The findings presented here will be of importance for the planning of future PAD programs so that the distributional efficiency and fairness of PAD in urban areas can be improved.
Subject(s)
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest , Berlin/epidemiology , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/methods , Cross-Sectional Studies , Defibrillators , Humans , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/epidemiology , Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/therapy , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented severe test for emergency medicine in Germany. In addition to in-hospital emergency medicine, prehospital emergency medicine has the decisive task of fully guaranteeing emergency medical healthcare. In this article the Berlin Fire Brigade shows new ways for emergency medical services to fulfil these increased responsibilities during the pandemic in prehospital emergency medicine in the State of Berlin. METHODS: A systematic presentation of the challenges and conceptional responses of preclinical emergency medicine to the COVID-19 pandemic was carried out using the example of the emergency medical services in the State of Berlin. RESULTS: The Berlin Fire Brigade has a dispatch center that coordinates all requests for assistance in the State of Berlin over the emergency telephone number 112. On average a total of 2565 emergency calls are received every 24â¯h, from which 1271 missions are generated. During the pandemic there was a striking increase in missions to patients with acute respiratory diseases (ARD). Of the missions 11% were carried out to patients with the suspicion of COVID-19. The duration of the emergency calls was extended on average by 1:36â¯min due to the additional questions in the pandemic protocol and the duration of the mission by an average of 17â¯min with the additional alarm keyword acute respiratory disease (ARD). CONCLUSION: The continuing pandemic reveals that tasks and responsibilities of public services in emergency rescue go far beyond the immediate medical prevention of danger to life and limb. In addition to the controller and triage functions in the integrated dispatch center of the Berlin Fire Brigade (112), the emergency and healthcare measures could be ensured. This was accomplished by comprehensive measures for situation control, situation reports and mastering situations despite the lack of alternative outpatient care options, especially in the areas of general practitioner, public health care and medical specialist practices.
