Engelsk titel: Medical emergencies in a rural community
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Författare:
Förtveit S
;
Hunskår S
Email: sverre.rortveit@austevoll.kummune.no
Språk: Nor
Antal referenser: 11
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 09041571
Sammanfattning
Background. Certain aspects (frequency and management) of medical emergencies in Norwegian municipalities have not been adequately documented. Previous studies indicate an annual incidence rate of about 10 emergency contacts per 1 000 inhabitants. This article presents results from recording of medical emergencies during two years in the Norwegian municipality Austevoll; an island community (without a mainland connection) south of Bergen, with 4 400 citizens.
Material and methods. Medical emergencies were defined as contacts which the doctor considered necessary to act upon without any delay. Doctors and ambulance personnel recorded data for all such contacts through a questionnaire survey undertaken in Austevoll in the period 1.10.2005 - 30.9.2007. Many questions were asked about how situations were interpreted, practical work conditions, clinical practice and treatment.
Results. 236 medical emergencies occurred in the study period. This corresponds to an annual incidence rate of 27 per 1 000 inhabitants. 84?% of cases concerned acute disease and 16?% were acute injuries. In 71?% of cases, the emergency occurred in the patient’s home or other dwelling. The doctor was the first health professional to reach the patient in 52?% of cases.
Interpretation. This study estimates a higher annual incidence rate for medical emergencies than previous records. A likely reason is that the municipal medical services has been the point of observation in this study, while previous studies have counted emergencies recorded by the EMCCs (Emergency Medical Communication Centres).