J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2023 Dec;34(6):550-557.

A study on the pathway for severe emergency patients visiting emergency departments to establish regionalization of emergency medical services in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do regions

• Lee MH
• Kim KH
• Yun HJ
• Yeom SR
• Ryu JH

Abstract

Objective
This study assessed the characteristics of medical utilization by analyzing the pathway of severe emergency patients visiting emergency departments in the three regions.
Methods
The study was conducted based on the National Emergency Department Information System, which collected information from 43 local governments from 2017 to 2019. Severe emergency patients were classified according to the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale level. A map was produced based on the results of connectivity centrality analysis, and groupings were performed using the R program. The relevance index was calculated to confirm medical utilization within and among regions.
Results
Medical utilization within the region for severe emergency patients was concentrated in major cities. With the opening of local emergency medical agencies in underserved areas of emergency medical services, medical utilization within the region has increased compared to three years ago. Severe emergency patients in the western region of Gyeongsangnam-do mainly visit the emergency department in Jinju city. In contrast, in western county areas, they mainly visit the emergency department in Busan city. In Ulsan city, which belongs to Ulju county and Jung-gu, many patients frequently visit the emergency department in Yangsan city. Patients from Geochang, Changnyeong, Hamyang, and Hapcheon counties in Gyeongnam Province frequently visit the emergency department in Daegu city.
Conclusion
The intersection and cooperation of health resources within and between regions of the emergency medical system are no longer a task that can be postponed, and regionalization has been proposed as an alternative concept.

Keyword

Emergencies; Emergency department; Emergency medical services; Health resources