Are there any differences in medical emergency team interventions between rural and urban areas? A single-centre cohort study

ObjectiveTo compare interventions of medical emergency teams in urban and rural areas with particular emphasis on response time and on-site medical rescue activities. DesignA retrospective analysis of ambulance call reports from two emergency medical service substations: one in the city and the other in a rural area. SettingTwo emergency medical service substations: one in the city and the other in a rural area. ParticipantsMedical emergency teams. ResultsInterventions in the city were associated with a substantially shorter response time in comparison to rural areas. In the city, the distances were generally less than 10km. In the rural area, however, such short distances accounted for only 7.2% of events, while 33.8% were over 30km. Medical emergency teams more often acted exclusively on-site or ceased any interventions in rural areas. Compared with the city, actions in the rural setting were associated with significantly increased use of cervical collars and decreased use of intravenous access. The presence of a physician in the team raised the probability of pharmacotherapy. ConclusionThe relationship between medical emergency teams activities and the location of intervention shows the real diversity of the functioning of emergency medical service within a city and rural areas. Further research should aim to improve the generalisability of these findings.