Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma

Current Projects

• Differences in Trauma Outcomes for Patients Residing in Ambulance Deserts
  Rural residents are 14% more likely to die after traumatic injury compared with urban residents, with distance from trauma centers and travel time likely significant contributors to this disparity. This project will use the State Emergency Department Databases and State Inpatient Database to examine differences in trauma outcomes for patients residing in ambulance deserts.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics
  
• Examining Differences in Rural and Urban Medicare FFS Beneficiaries' Emergency Department Use Pre-COVID-19 and During COVID-19
  This study describes and compares the differences in the utilization of emergency department (ED) services among rural and urban Medicare Fee-For-Service enrollees during 2018-2021. We will identify factors associated with differences in ED use, including shifts in volume, primary diagnoses, and admission source, before and since the COVID-19 public health emergency in rural and urban areas.
  Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
  Topics: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Social determinants of health
  
• Mortality Risks Associated With Living in Ambulance Deserts
  This project will use ambulance data from the Maine Rural Health Research Center and from CDC WONDER to assess whether living in an ambulance desert is associated with higher mortality rates among rural and urban populations.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access
  
• Rural-Urban Differences in Emergency Department Utilization and Costs for Dental Conditions
  Emergency Department (ED) Utilization is a de facto provider for untreated dental issues. Understanding rural-urban differences in ED use for dental conditions in recent years is essential to inform federal, state, and community-level dental health initiatives such as preventive dental care, tele-dentistry infrastructure expansion, and oral hygiene practices. Ongoing national efforts addressing rural disparities in dental care should target individuals most at risk for missing preventive care and utilizing the ED for dental care.
  Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Oral health
  
• Socioeconomic Profiles and Market Characteristics Associated with Ambulance Deserts
  We will address the extent to which vulnerable, aging populations live in ambulance deserts and identify ambulance desert populations facing additional barriers to healthcare access. We will also assess the impact of hospital closures on travel distances to the nearest health care facilities.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Transportation
  
• Updating and Exploring the Burden of Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Visits in Rural U.S. Communities
  This project will update the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's research portfolio on potentially avoidable emergency department (ED) visits among rural residents across the U.S., particularly as they relate to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). Data on ACSC-related ED visits will be drawn from the State Emergency Department Databases, and findings will be stratified by census region, patient's place along the urban-rural continuum, and by race/ethnicity.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Medicaid and CHIP, Uninsured and underinsured