Objective: To understand the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on emergency medical services (EMSs) utilisation and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes in Singapore.
Methods: This was a retrospective observational study comparing data collected by the Singapore Civil Defence Force on EMS utilisation in Singapore from 1 April to 31 May 2020 to previous figures.
Results: Overall, EMS call volume and total out-of-hospital cardiac arrests remained comparable to past years. There was an appreciable decline in prehospital return of spontaneous circulation rates, albeit not statistically lower than pre-COVID periods (P = 0.078).
Conclusion: The findings contribute to a growing body of literature internationally on the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS utilisation and outcomes.
Keywords: COVID-19; emergency medical services; out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; pandemic; resuscitation; return of spontaneous circulation.
© 2020 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.