Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38652145›Full record

ArticleMedizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin2025

Hospital admissions following emergency medical services in Germany: analysis of 2 million hospital cases in 2022.

Martin Roessler, Claudia Schulte, Christoph Bobeth, Danny Wende, Christian Karagiannidis

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. A European paramedic curriculum for geriatric emergency medicine developed via a modified Delphi technique.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026
    Article
  2. Regional differences, repeated use, and costs of emergency medical services in Germany.Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. 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

5 authors.

Martin RoesslerBARMER Institute for Health Care System Research, Axel-Springer-Str. 44, 10969, Berlin, Germany. martin.roessler@barmer.de.
Claudia SchulteBARMER Institute for Health Care System Research, Axel-Springer-Str. 44, 10969, Berlin, Germany.
Christoph BobethBARMER Institute for Health Care System Research, Axel-Springer-Str. 44, 10969, Berlin, Germany.
Danny WendeBARMER Institute for Health Care System Research, Axel-Springer-Str. 44, 10969, Berlin, Germany.
Christian KaragiannidisARDS and ECMO Centre Cologne-Merheim, Cologne, Germany. christian.karagiannidis@uni-wh.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3247-2849

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe use of emergency medical services (EMS) in Germany has increased substantially over the last few decades. While current reform efforts aim to increase effectiveness and efficiency of the German hospital and EMS systems, there is lack of data on characteristics of hospital cases using EMS.

objectivesTo analyze and compare the characteristics of cases hospitalized with and without the use of EMS. MATERIALS AND

methodsThe BARMER health insurance data on more than 2 million hospital cases admitted in 2022 were analyzed. The distributions of age, clinical complexity (measured by patient clinical complexity levels, PCCL), main diagnoses, costs for EMS and hospital treatment, and multiple severity indicators were described. The overall severity of hospital cases was classified as "low or moderate" or "high" based on a combined severity indicator. All analyses were stratified by use of EMS and EMS type.

resultsA total of 28% of all included hospital cases used EMS. Relative to hospital cases without use of EMS, hospital cases with use of EMS were older (physician-staffed ambulance: 75 years, interquartile range [IQR] 59-84, double-crewed ambulance: 78 years, IQR 64-85) and had a higher clinical complexity. The severity of more than 30% of the cases using EMS (except for patient transport service ambulance) was classified as "low or moderate". The distributions of main diagnoses differed by severity and use of EMS.

conclusionsThe high proportion of cases with low or moderate severity using EMS may indicate a substantial potential to avoid the use of EMS in the context of hospital admissions in Germany. Further investigation is required to explore whether the proportion of cases using EMS could be reduced by optimizing preclinical service.

Indexed as

Emergency Medical ServicesHospitalizationPatient AdmissionAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAmbulancesChildChild, PreschoolFemaleGermanyHumansInfantMaleMiddle AgedCostsEmergency departmentEmergency medical servicesHelicopter emergency medical services (HEMS)Resuscitation

Identifiers

PMID38652145
PMCPMC11961464

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.