Emergency Medical Services

The authors explore the global increase in EMS calls during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect of COVID-19 on the response to other emergencies and overwhelmed dispatch centers. They included 29 articles in their review, finding that EMS-related factors (e.g., risk of exposure, shortage in ambulances), social factors (e.g., the effect of lockdowns on residents with pre-existing conditions), and patient factors (e.g., reluctance to call 911) had various impacts on EMS calls and responses during the pandemic.