impact of covid-19 pandemic on emergency medical service: a comparative analysis from iran

Background :the covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare systems and utilization, particularly within emergency services. objectives :this study aimed to compare the impact of the first year following the onset of covid-19 on emergency medical services (ems) with the corresponding period prior to the pandemic. methods :this cross-sectional study compared ems mission types and numbers in kermanshah province, iran, during 2020 with the equivalent pre-pandemic period (2019). differences between periods were analyzed using student's t-test. results :during the pandemic, dispatch calls increased substantially (80.07%; p < 0.05). the total number of ems missions remained similar (1.63%; p < 0.05), but there was a shift from injury-related to disease-related missions (p < 0.05). the proportion of missions without patients rose by over 40% during the pandemic, while deaths before ems arrival and on-scene cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) increased by more than 30%. field childbirths also tripled during the pandemic period. conclusions :the covid-19 pandemic markedly altered ems operations and patient outcomes. the ems organizations should anticipate such changes in future pandemics and communicate potential delays in healthcare services to the public.