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12-year trends in prehospital demand and acuity

The evolving prehospital care: a 12-year retrospective analysis
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine · Added 27 July 2026

Emergency medical services (EMS) are one of the main interfaces between acutely ill patients in the prehospital environment and hospital-based care.

Study type

Cohort

Design

Retrospective population-based linked-records cohort

Participants

474,647 primary EMS assignments in Region Östergötland, Sweden, 2011–2022

Main finding

Highest-acuity triage categories rose from 32% to 57% (OR 1.08 per year, 95% CI 1.08–1.09); non-transport dispositions rose from 5% to 25%; admission rate stable ~50%; triage acuity was strongest mortality predictor (OR 1.14–5.15 per level)

Caveat

Single Swedish region; RETTS triage system differs from Australian practice

Bottom line

Context only

Learning goal

Understand how rising case acuity and non-transport demand shape triage decisions in Australian prehospital practice.

More

• Topic: Operations & systems
• Daily scan: 27 July 2026

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