The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the work of emergency medical aid of the Emergency institute of Zagreb county

U Republici Hrvatskoj ustanova zadužena za hitnu medicinsku djelatnost i telemedicu nosi naziv Hrvatski zavod za hitnu medicinu. Jedan od Zavoda vršitelja prethodno spomenute djelatnosti smješten je u Zagrebačkoj županiji te će biti temelj ovog rada. Početkom listopada Obzirom na izloženost zaposlenika vanbolničke hitne pomoći svakojakim infekcijama i bolestima pa tako i SARS-CoV-2 infekciji, uvedeni su novi načini, posebnosti rada kroz protokole/smjernice te epidemiološke mjere kako bi se djelatnici zaštitili od povećanog rizika infekcije što je potencijalno utjecalo na brzinu i kvalitetu pružanja pomoći potrebitima. Uzimajući u obzir razdoblje koje je prethodilo pandemiji (01.03.2018. - 29.02.2020.) te dvije godine od početka pandemije (01.03.2020. - 28.02.2022.), ovaj rad, temeljem podataka E-hitne, prikazati će utjecaj pandemije na rad prijavno-dojavne jedinice, kvalitetu rada timova (kako na terenu tako u ambulanti) te cjelokupnog sustava hitne medicinske službe, kao i specifičnih uvjeta rada (od inicijalnog kontakta do prijevoza COVID-19 zaraženih pacijenata). Uvidom u statističku analizu prikupljenih podataka prvo što možemo vidjeti kako je vrijeme izlaska (dolaska do pacijenta) bilo nešto dulje za vrijeme pandemije u odnosu na razdoblje prije iste. Produljeno je isto tako bilo vrijeme trajanja poziva prilikom razgovora s prijavno-dojavnom jedinicom što zbog uzimanja detaljne epidemiološke anamneze što zbog dijeljenja kako medicinskih tako i administrativnih savjeta. Isto tako, uviđa se razlika u broju intervencija te ambulantnih pregleda koje su vidno manje tijekom trajanja pandemije. Gledajući brojke kardiopulmonalne reanimacije, veći je broj intervencija/pregleda pri kojima se ista nije vršila, ali je zanimljiva činjenica povećanog postotka pokušaja laičke reanimacije tijekom trajanja pandemije u odnosu na promatrano razdoblje prije pojave COVID-19 infekcije.Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, founded by Republic of Croatia, is responsible for emergency medical services and telemedicine. One of the institutes performing the previously mentioned activity is located in Zagreb County and will be the basis of this work. Considering the exposure of outpatient emergency care workers to all kinds of infections and diseases, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, new ways, peculiarities of work through protocols/guidelines and epidemiological measures were introduced in order to protect workers from the increased risk of infection, which potentially affected the speed and the quality of providing assistance to the patients. Taking into account the period that preceded the pandemic (March 1, 2018 - February 29, 2020) and two years since the beginning of the pandemic (March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2022), this paper, based on data collected from E-hitna database, will show the impact of the pandemic on the work of the reporting unit, the quality of the work of the teams (both in the field and in the clinic) and the entire system of the emergency medical service, as well as specific working conditions (from the initial contact to the transportation of patients infected with COVID-19). By looking at the statistical analysis of the collected data, the first thing we can see is that the exit time (arrival to the patient) was slightly longer during the pandemic compared to the period before it. The duration of the call during the conversation with the reporting unit was also extended, either because of taking a detailed epidemiological history or because of sharing both medical advice and administrative recommendations. There is also a difference in the number of interventions and outpatient examinations, which are visibly fewer during the pandemic. Looking at the cardiopulmonary resuscitation figures, there is a greater number of interventions/examinations in which it was not performed, but the fact of an increased percentage of lay resuscitation attempts during the pandemic compared to the observed period before the onset of the COVID-19 infection is interesting