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Cardiac (non-arrest)
Who doesn't call an ambulance for chest pain
Equity-Related Factors in Emergency Medical Service Use for Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Systematic Review
Open Access Emergency Medicine · 2026-10-16 · Added 24 October 2026
Systematic review of 14 Australian studies testing whether equity-related factors affect EMS use for acute coronary syndrome — EMS use ranged 36–79%, with under-49s up to 68% lower odds of calling than over-65s, men 11% lower than women, overseas-born 15% lower, non-English speakers 6–20% lower and remote residents 25% lower than city dwellers.
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Design
- Systematic review (PROSPERO-registered) of Australian studies
- Participants
- 14 Australian studies
- Main finding
- EMS use for ACS ranged 36–79%; under-49s up to 68% lower odds of EMS use than over-65s, men up to 11% lower than women, overseas-born up to 15% lower, non-English speakers 6–20% lower, remote residents up to 25% lower than major-city residents
- Caveat
- Vote-counting synthesis of heterogeneous observational studies rather than pooled effect estimates
- Bottom line
- Hypothesis-generating
Why it matters in Australia (High relevance). Australian data on who does and doesn't ring for chest pain — core ambulance business everywhere in the country, no translation needed.
Learning goal
Understand the equity-related barriers that lead some Australian patients to delay or avoid calling an ambulance for chest pain.
More
- Topic: Cardiac (non-arrest)
- Daily scan: 24 October 2026
- Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 24 October 2026
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