Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35577471›Full record

Observational studyBMJ open2022

Accuracy of emergency medical service telephone triage of need for an ambulance response in suspected COVID-19: an observational cohort study.

Carl Marincowitz, Tony Stone, Madina Hasan, Richard Campbell, Peter A Bath, Janette Turner, Richard Pilbery, Benjamin David Thomas, Laura Sutton, Fiona Bell and 5 more

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Carl MarincowitzCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Tony StoneCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Madina HasanCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Richard CampbellCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Peter A BathCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Janette TurnerCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3884-7875
Richard PilberyYorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK.
Benjamin David ThomasClinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK b.d.thomas@sheffield.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-6659-6930
Laura SuttonClinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Fiona BellYorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK.
Katie BiggsClinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4468-7417
Frank HopfgartnerCentre for Health Information Management Research (CHIMR) and Health Informatics Research Group, Information School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Suvodeep MazumdarCentre for Health Information Management Research (CHIMR) and Health Informatics Research Group, Information School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Jennifer PetrieClinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Steve GoodacreCentre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0803-8444
University of Sheffield · GBYorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust · GB

Funding

Department of Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess accuracy of emergency medical service (EMS) telephone triage in identifying patients who need an EMS response and identify factors which affect triage accuracy.

designObservational cohort study.

settingEmergency telephone triage provided by Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) National Health Service (NHS) Trust.

participants12 653 adults who contacted EMS telephone triage services provided by YAS between 2 April 2020 and 29 June 2020 assessed by COVID-19 telephone triage pathways were included. OUTCOME: Accuracy of call handler decision to dispatch an ambulance was assessed in terms of death or need for organ support at 30 days from first contact with the telephone triage service.

resultsCallers contacting EMS dispatch services had an 11.1% (1405/12 653) risk of death or needing organ support. In total, 2000/12 653 (16%) of callers did not receive an emergency response and they had a 70/2000 (3.5%) risk of death or organ support. Ambulances were dispatched to 4230 callers (33.4%) who were not conveyed to hospital and did not deteriorate. Multivariable modelling found variables of older age (1 year increase, OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.05) and presence of pre-existing respiratory disease (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.60) to be predictors of false positive triage.

conclusionTelephone triage can reduce ambulance responses but, with low specificity. A small but significant proportion of patients who do not receive an initial emergency response deteriorated. Research to improve accuracy of EMS telephone triage is needed and, due to limitations of routinely collected data, this is likely to require prospective data collection.

Indexed as

COVID-19Emergency Medical ServicesAdultAmbulancesCohort StudiesData CollectionHumansState MedicineTelephoneTriageaccident & emergency medicineCOVID-19risk management

Identifiers

PMID35577471
PMCPMC9114316
OpenAlexW4280531375

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.