Bergman Natalie, Jarling Aleksandra, Norberg Gabriella Boysen, Alenljung Beatrice, Andersson Magnus Hagiwara
PreHospen: Centre for Prehospital Research, University of Borås, Allégatan 1, Borås, 50332, Sweden.
Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare, University of Borås, Allégatan 1, Borås, 50332, Sweden.
Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2025 Aug 13;33(1):139. doi: 10.1186/s13049-025-01453-9.
Mental illness is prevalent worldwide, creating a demand for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) assessments in mental illness, yet research on the epidemiology of patients with mental illness in the EMS is lacking in Sweden. This study aims to describe the patients presenting with symptoms of mental illness in the EMS and how they are assessed in the prehospital setting.
A retrospective observational study was conducted to identify patients assessed for symptoms of mental illness in the EMS in 2023. A total of 1,304 records met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study: [1] assessed in the EMS due to symptoms of mental illness and [2] over 13 years old. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistic 28.
More females (54.3%) than men (45.7%) were assessed for mental illness (p = < 0.01). The median age was 39 years, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 32 years (p = < 0.01) and a total range of 13-91. Most patients were assessed once, with a range of 1 to 37 times. The initial priority of the patients was mainly Priority 1 (45.6%) or Priority 2 (49.9%). However, this shifted after the EMS assessment where most patients either recieved a lower priority or No priority [due to not being transported] (39.7%). The most common triage colour was Orange (21.4%), indicating the need for acute care, but four out of ten patients did not recieve a triage color (40.4%). The most frequent patients assessed by the EMS were suicide threats/attempts (45.2%) and intoxications (48.8%) with intoxication cases most likely to be hospitalised. The length of the stay in the hospital varied from 0 to 67 days but most patients were discharged within 24 h (6.8%) or admitted for 24 h (6.4%).
Patients with mental illness are frequently assessed in the EMS, primarily for suicide threats/attempts and intoxication. However, few are admitted to the hospital, and many are not triaged, suggesting difficulties in referring patients with mental illness to the right level of care. The result may inform future studies assessing patients with mental illness in the EMS.
精神疾病在全球范围内普遍存在，这使得对精神疾病进行紧急医疗服务（EMS）评估的需求不断增加，但瑞典缺乏关于EMS中精神疾病患者流行病学的研究。本研究旨在描述在EMS中出现精神疾病症状的患者以及他们在院前环境中的评估方式。
进行了一项回顾性观察研究，以确定2023年在EMS中因精神疾病症状接受评估的患者。共有1304份记录符合纳入标准并被纳入研究：[1]因精神疾病症状在EMS中接受评估，[2]年龄超过13岁。使用IBM SPSS Statistic 28对数据进行分析。
接受精神疾病评估的女性（54.3%）多于男性（45.7%）（p = <0.01）。中位年龄为39岁，四分位间距（IQR）为32岁（p = <0.01），年龄范围为13至91岁。大多数患者接受了一次评估，评估次数范围为1至37次。患者最初的优先级主要为1级（45.6%）或2级（49.9%）。然而，在EMS评估后情况发生了变化，大多数患者要么获得了较低的优先级，要么[因未被转运]没有优先级（39.7%）。最常见的分诊颜色是橙色（21.4%），表明需要急性护理，但十分之四的患者没有获得分诊颜色（40.4%）。EMS评估的最常见患者是自杀威胁/企图（45.2%）和中毒（48.8%），中毒患者最有可能住院。住院时间从0天到67天不等，但大多数患者在24小时内出院（6.8%）或住院24小时（6.4%）。
精神疾病患者经常在EMS中接受评估，主要是因为自杀威胁/企图和中毒。然而，很少有人住院，而且许多人没有进行分诊，这表明将精神疾病患者转诊到适当护理水平存在困难。该结果可为未来评估EMS中精神疾病患者的研究提供参考。
