TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between mortality and phone-line waiting time for non-urgent medical care
T2 - a Danish registry-based cohort study
AU - Mills, Elisabeth Helen Anna
AU - Møller, Amalie Lykkemark
AU - Gnesin, Filip
AU - Zylyftari, Nertila
AU - Jensen, Britta
AU - Christensen, Helle Collatz
AU - Blomberg, Stig Nikolaj
AU - Kragholm, Kristian Hay
AU - Gislason, Gunnar
AU - Køber, Lars
AU - Gerds, Thomas
AU - Folke, Fredrik
AU - Lippert, Freddy
AU - Torp-Pedersen, Christian
AU - Andersen, Mikkel Porsborg
N1 - Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/4/1
Y1 - 2024/4/1
N2 - BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Telephone calls are often patients' first healthcare service contact, outcomes associated with waiting times are unknown.OBJECTIVES: Examine the association between waiting time to answer for a medical helpline and 1- and 30-day mortality.DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Registry-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.EXPOSURE: Waiting 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 ANALYSIS: The 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 RESULTS: In 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.CONCLUSION: Longer 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.
AB - BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Telephone calls are often patients' first healthcare service contact, outcomes associated with waiting times are unknown.OBJECTIVES: Examine the association between waiting time to answer for a medical helpline and 1- and 30-day mortality.DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Registry-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.EXPOSURE: Waiting 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 ANALYSIS: The 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 RESULTS: In 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.CONCLUSION: Longer 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186509816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/MEJ.0000000000001088
DO - 10.1097/MEJ.0000000000001088
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37788126
SN - 0969-9546
VL - 31
SP - 127
EP - 135
JO - European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
JF - European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
IS - 2
ER -