The General Public Awareness of Emergency Conditions and the Services Provided by Emergency Medical Services

Abstract

Objective: Considering the growing use of emergency medical services (EMS), we evaluated the level ofpublic awareness of emergency situations in Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2021 to January 2023 on Iranian residentsin Tehran, who were older than 18 years old. The participants were directed to a URL for an online surveylink and asked to select their preferred options for the predetermined scenarios. We divided the participantsinto three groups: abuse, misuse, and non-use. At least 12 correct answers were required to qualify asacceptable knowledge and practice responses (KP score). Then, the relationship between participants’ baselinecharacteristics and their level of awareness was investigated.Results: Totally, 3864 people participated in the study, of whom 50.5% were men. The participants’ agesranged from 18 to 90 years old, with a mean age of 40.01±11.30 years. In general, the rate of abuse, misuse,and not-use in at least one scenario was 74.5%, 64%, and 70.4%, respectively. The results of the multivariableregression analysis indicated that female sex (OR=1.29), a higher education level (OR=3.36), a higher incomelevel (OR=1.64), and Turkish ethnicity (OR=1.20) were significantly associated with the correct KP score.Conclusion: The degree of inappropriate utilization of EMS services in Iran was significant. We found thatthe proper knowledge regarding the appropriate use of EMS was significantly associated with the participant’slevel of education, academic field, job, and income.

Keywords

• awareness
• emergency medical services
• health services misuse
• knowledge