Objectives Severe trauma remains a leading cause of death in the Republic of Korea. In response, regional trauma centers were established in 2012. This study evaluated the impact of direct prehospital transport to trauma centers on in-hospital mortality among patients with severe trauma using the national trauma registry. Methods: This nationwide observational study utilized data from the Korean community-based trauma registry between 2016 and 2020. Patients with an injury severity score >15 who were directly transported from the prehospital setting were included. Variables analyzed encompassed demographics, injury mechanism, transport time, hospital level, and outcomes. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Both logistic regression and decision tree models were employed. Results: A total of 24,567 patients were included. Overall mortality decreased by 5.2% during the study period. Patients transported to level 1 or 2 trauma centers had a lower mortality rate (23.6%) compared to those transported to level 3 or 4 hospitals (28.0%). The proportion of direct transports to high-level centers increased from 46.7% to 64.1% between 2016 and 2020. Despite longer transport times, patients transported to high-level institutions exhibited improved survival, particularly when transport exceeded 30 minutes, suggesting that hospital selection may be more critical than minimizing transport time. Conclusion: Direct transport to high-level trauma centers improves survival among patients with severe trauma, even when transport times are prolonged. These findings support the importance of a well-organized trauma system that emphasizes hospital capability in prehospital triage decisions.
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Artificial intelligence and biohealth: the Republic of Korea’s emerging priorities in health care R&D Jong-Koo Lee Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives.2025; 16(4): 309. CrossRef
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<title>Objectives</title>
<p>Elderly adults are the demographic most likely to utilize emergency medical services (EMS). This study aimed to examine the difference in EMS utilization in subgroups of the elderly population by assessing the predictors for using EMS.</p></sec>
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<title>Methods</title>
<p>Using both descriptive and logistic regression analyses, this study analyses data from the 2014 Korean Health Panel Survey (<italic>n</italic> = 3,175).</p></sec>
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<title>Results</title>
<p>It was observed that certain predisposing factors such as age, sex, and marital status were significant predictors of EMS utilization. However, differences in EMS need do not fully account for the original differences observed between subgroups of elderly Koreans. While health status and disability were important predictors of elderly Koreans using EMS, place of residence did not account for subgroup differences. Nonetheless, place of residence remained particularly important predictors of EMS utilization for the elderly.</p></sec>
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<title>Conclusion</title>
<p>Emergency needs and resource availability are 2 main determinants for elderly Koreans using EMS. In addition, it was observed that the demographic subgroup profile of unmarried/divorced/separated/widowed men who were aged 75 and older was least likely to utilize EMS. Improving their resource availability to meet their EMS needs should be a top priority for national policy making to narrow elderly population subgroup differences.</p></sec>
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Fatores associados às causas externas em idosos atendidos pelo serviço de atendimento móvel de urgência Ana Angélica Oliveira de Brito, Beatriz Barros de Vasconcelos, Ana Maria Ribeiro dos Santos, Débora de Oliveira Lima, Maria Zélia de Araújo Madeira, Guilherme Guarino de Moura Sá, Julyanne dos Santos Nolêto, Rouslanny Kelly Cipriano de Oliveira Revista Gaúcha de Enfermagem.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
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The Epidemiology of Adult Emergency Medical Services Use in Muğla Ömer Faruk Karakoyun, Kıvanç Karaman, Burcu Kaymak Golcuk, Yalcin Golcuk Paramedik ve Acil Sağlık Hizmetleri Dergisi.2024; 5(1): 1. CrossRef
Medical and social factors influencing the utilization of healthcare services among older adults in Israel during the COVID-19 lockdown Ohad Shaked, Liat Korn, Yair Shapiro, Moti Zwilling, Avi Zigdon Frontiers in Public Health.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Social Factors Contributing to Healthcare Service Requirements during the First COVID-19 Lockdown among Older Adults Ohad Shaked, Liat Korn, Yair Shapiro, Avi Zigdon Healthcare.2022; 10(10): 1854. CrossRef
Socio-demographic characteristics and their relation to medical service consumption among elderly in Israel during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 as compared to the corresponding period in 2019 Ohad Shaked, Liat Korn, Yair Shapiro, Gideon Koren, Avi Zigdon, Aviad Tur-Sinai PLOS ONE.2022; 17(12): e0278893. CrossRef
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