ArticleBMJ open2020
Tracing frequent users of regional care services using emergency medical services data: a networked approach.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Disparities between two possible thresholds for frequent contacts to a Norwegian emergency medical communication centre: ≥5 contacts in one month vs. ≥12 contacts in three months.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Frequent callers vs. frequent users - a scoping review of frequent contacts to the emergency medical services.International journal of emergency medicine · 2025Review
- "I surely don't call for fun": experiences of being a "frequent caller" to the Danish emergency helpline.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Frequent contacts to Emergency Medical Services (EMS): more than frequent callers.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Defining a threshold above which an adult can be considered to frequently use ambulance services: a retrospective cross-sectional study of emergency calls to an ambulance service in England.British paramedic journal · 2023Article
- Appropriateness of frequent use of emergency departments: A retrospective analysis in Rome, Italy.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study shows how a networked approach relying on 'real-world' emergency medical services (EMS) records might contribute to tracing frequent users of care services on a regional scale. Their tracing is considered of importance for policy-makers and clinicians, since they represent a considerable workload and use of scarce resources. While existing approaches for data collection on frequent users tend to limit scope to individual or associated care providers, the proposed approach exploits the role of EMS as the network's 'ferryman' overseeing and recording patient calls made to an entire network of care providers.
designA retrospective study was performed analysing 2012-2017 EMS calls in the province of Drenthe, the Netherlands. Using EMS data, benefits of the networked approach versus existing approaches are assessed by quantifying the number of frequent users and their associated calls for various categories of care providers. Main categories considered are hospitals, nursing homes and EMS.
settingEMS in the province of Drenthe, the Netherlands, serving a population of 491 867.
participantsAnalyses are based on secondary patient data from EMS records, entailing 212 967 transports and 126 758 patients, over 6 years (2012-2017).
resultsUse of the networked approach for analysing calls made to hospitals in Drenthe resulted in a 20% average increase of frequent users traced. Extending the analysis by including hospitals outside Drenthe increased ascertainment by 28%. Extending to all categories of care providers, inside Drenthe, and subsequently, irrespective of their location, resulted in an average increase of 132% and 152% of frequent users identified, respectively.
conclusionsMany frequent users of care services are network users relying on multiple regional care providers, possibly representing inefficient use of scarce resources. Network users are effectively and efficiently traced by using EMS records offering high coverage of calls made to regional care providers.
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