Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether rates of bystander CPR and patient outcomes changed during the initial state of emergency declared in Tokyo for the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an improvement in the bystander CPR rate in Tokyo, while patient outcomes were maintained. Pandemic-related changes in patient and bystander characteristics do not fully explain the underlying mechanism; there may be other mechanisms through which the community response to public emergency increased during the pandemic.
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Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) account for substantial non-urgent ED attendances. Hence, we explored the reasons for such attendances using a mixed-methods approach. ⋯ Meeting individual needs of perceived illness severity or non-improvement was the topmost driver of ED visits for URTI, while contextual enabling factors such as convenience was the lowest. Patients' sociodemographic and clinical factors and visit expectations influence their motivations for ED attendances. Addressing these factors and expectations can alleviate the overutilisation of ED services.
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There are concerns about high levels of demand for emergency health services. The aim was to identify the characteristics of the British population with a tendency to contact emergency medical services and EDs for minor or non-urgent problems. ⋯ Whereas use of emergency ambulances for minor or non-urgent problems appeared to be driven by people's lack of resources, including lack of transport, use of EDs appeared to be driven by their attractive characteristic of offering tests quickly.