Jan Krakowiak

Background The main task of the State Medical Rescue System is to provide assistance to every person who faces a sudden health emergency or threat to life. This is provided through Medical Rescue Teams, the analysis of which will allow us to take a closer look at their characteristics and indicate possible areas for improvement. Objectives The purpose of this study is to research the functioning of Medical Rescue Teams in Łódź in 2020, including determining the number, type, reasons and legitimacy of interventions, and detailing the characteristics of patients, place of events, time of departure, time of arrival at the scene and the number and type of trips. Material and methods The material consists of 72,749 trips carried out by Medical Rescue Teams in Łódź in 2020. The obtained results were statistically analyzed using the Statistica v. 13.3 program, where the χ2 test was used to determine the relationship between the variables. A significance level of p<0.05 was assumed. The statistical analysis shows that 72,749 trips were carried out by Medical Rescue Teams in Łódź in 2020, 89% of which were “P” type, and 11% “S” type. Results Most of the interventions (emergency callouts) were visits to women and to the elderly (those in the 60+ age category). Teams were usually dispatched in the departure urgency code “1”. The most common places to which emergency teams were sent were patients’ homes and public places. Ambulances were more often called for patients who were not in a state of emergency than for those who were. The most common reasons for requesting help were symptoms, disease features, cardiovascular diseases, injuries and poisonings. Conclusions Noting the high percentage of calls to patients who did not have a sudden threat to life or health – educational activities should be carried out to promote and increase awareness of the reasons for calling emergency medical teams.

Background Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a sudden medical condition in which the mechanical function of the heart is impaired and consequently ceases. It is the most common cause of human death in Europe. In order to increase survival rates, it is essential to spread knowledge among the public about life-saving techniques. Medical students, as a specific health-related group, should be familiar with current life-threatening emergency management regimens. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of students of selected faculties at the Medical University of Lodz on basic resuscitation procedures (BLS – Basic Life Support). Material and methods Online survey questionnaire consisting of 25 questions developed by the study authors. The study involved 327 students of selected faculties: medicine, nursing, paramedicine, public health at the Medical University of Lodz. Inclusion criteria for the study: age >= 18 years, status as a student of the aforementioned faculties at the Medical University of Lodz, informed consent to participate in the study. Results 80.7% (264) of the students were familiar with the management algorithm: 85.6% (89) of medical students, 79.8% (67) of nursing students, 81.0% (60) of paramedic students, and 71.6% (48) of public health students; 81.5% (145) of those familiar with the algorithm were female, and 79.9% (119) were male students. 92.3% of medical students, 82.1% of nursing students, 90.3% of paramedic students and 64.1% of public health students had knowledge of AEDs. Among the respondents, the most common sources of knowledge about BLS were the medical school classes (68.5% (224)) and the Internet (24.16% (79)). Conclusions The knowledge of the students of selected courses of the Medical University of Lodz was satisfactory. The majority of students knew the procedure algorithm and emergency numbers. The main source of BLS knowledge for students were classes at the medical university and the Internet. The process of educating medical students and the entire society about BLS should be continuously pursued.