• Elisabeth Helen Anna Mills, Amalie Lykkemark Møller, Filip Gnesin, Nertila Zylyftari, Britta Jensen, ChristensenHelle CollatzHCCopenhagen Emergency Medical Services, Copenhagen and University of Copenhagen.Danish Clinical Quality Program - National Clinical Registries (RKKP), Righospitalet, Copenhagen., Stig Nikolaj Blomberg, Kristian Hay Kragholm, Gunnar Gislason, Lars Køber, Thomas Gerds, Fredrik Folke, Freddy Lippert, Christian Torp-Pedersen, and Mikkel Porsborg Andersen.
• Department of Cardiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg.
• Eur J Emerg Med. 2024 Apr 1; 31 (2): 127135127-135.

Background And ImportanceTelephone calls are often patients' first healthcare service contact, outcomes associated with waiting times are unknown.ObjectivesExamine the association between waiting time to answer for a medical helpline and 1- and 30-day mortality.Design, Setting And ParticipantsRegistry-based cohort study using phone calls data (January 2014 to December 2018) to the Capital Region of Denmark's medical helpline. The service refers to hospital assessment/treatment, dispatches ambulances, or suggests self-care guidance.ExposureWaiting time was grouped into the following time intervals in accordance with political service targets for waiting time in the Capital Region: <30 s, 0:30-2:59, 3-9:59, and ≥10 min.Outcome Measures And AnalysisThe association between time intervals and 1- and 30-day mortality per call was calculated using logistic regression with strata defined by age and sex.Main ResultsIn total, 1 244 252 callers were included, phoning 3 956 243 times, and 78% of calls waited <10 min. Among callers, 30-day mortality was 1% (16 560 deaths). For calls by females aged 85-110 30-day mortality increased with longer waiting time, particularly within the first minute: 9.6% for waiting time <30 s, 10.8% between 30 s and 1 minute and 9.1% between 1 and 2 minutes. For calls by males aged 85-110 30-day mortality was 11.1%, 12.9% and 11.1%, respectively. Additionally, among calls with a Charlson score of 2 or higher, longer waiting times were likewise associated with increased mortality. For calls by females aged 85-110 30-day mortality was 11.6% for waiting time <30 s, 12.9% between 30 s and 1 minute and 11.2% between 1 and 2 minutes. For calls by males aged 85-110 30-day mortality was 12.7%, 14.1% and 12.6%, respectively. Fewer ambulances were dispatched with longer waiting times (4%/2%) with waiting times <30 s and >10 min.ConclusionLonger waiting times for telephone contact to a medical helpline were associated with increased 1- and 30-day mortality within the first minute, especially among elderly or more comorbid callers.Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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