Effect of a mass media campaign on ambulance use for chest pain
- Authors: Nehme, Zlad , Cameron, Peter , Akram, Muhammad , Patsamanis, Harry , Bray, Janet , Meredith, Ian , Smith, Karen
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Journal of Australia Vol. 206, no. 1 (2017), p. 30-35
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To evaluate the impact of comprehensive public awareness campaigns by the National Heart Foundation of Australia on emergency medical service (EMS) use by people with chest pain. Design, setting and participants: A retrospective analysis of 253 428 emergency ambulance attendances for non-traumatic chest pain in Melbourne, January 2008 e December 2013. Time series analyses, adjusted for underlying trend and seasonal effects, assessed the impact of mass media campaigns on EMS use. Main outcome measure: Monthly ambulance attendances. Results: The median number of monthly ambulance attendances for chest pain was 3609 (IQR, 3011e3891), but was higher in campaign months than in non-campaign months (3880 v 3234, P < 0.001). After adjustments, campaign activity was associated with a 10.7% increase (95% CI, 6.5e14.9%; P < 0.001) in monthly ambulance use for chest pain, and a 15.4% increase (95% CI, 10.1e20.9%; P < 0.001) when the two-month lag periods were included. Clinical presentations for suspected acute coronary syndromes, as determined by paramedics, increased by 11.3% (95% CI, 6.9e15.9%; P < 0.001) during campaigns. Although the number of patients transported to hospital by ambulance increased by 10.0% (95% CI, 6.1e14.2%; P < 0.001) during campaign months, the number of patients not transported to hospital also increased, by 13.9% (95% CI, 8.3e19.8%; P < 0.001). Conclusion: A public awareness campaign about responding to prodromal acute myocardial infarction symptoms was associated with an increase in EMS use by people with chest pain and suspected acute coronary syndromes. Campaign activity may also lead to increased EMS use in low risk populations. © 2017 AMPCo Pty Ltd. Produced with Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Analysis of interrupted time-series relating to statewide sports injury data
- Authors: Akram, Muhammad , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Epidemiologist Vol. 22, no. 1 (2015), p. 29-31
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study aims to present a new approach towards the analysis of intervention time-series studies in the context of sports-related injury data. We used Victoria-wide hospital admission injury data associated with the sport of Australian football during the period 2006 to 2013. To estimate the state-wide effect of an implemented exercise training intervention that aimed to reduce the number of football-related injuries, time-series analysis was performed using a generalised least square (GLS) method. We show how the GLS method can be used to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Trend and seasonal patterns time series were also assessed using the 'Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess' nonparametric seasonal decomposition procedure. The model identified a decreasing trend in the seasonally adjusted number of injuries after the implementation of the intervention in the hospital admission data. The seasonal decomposition plots also indicate strong seasonal patterns in the injury time series.