Prehospital Emergency Care for Children at School and Nonschool Locations
Authors: Knight Stacey , Vernon Donald D. , Fines Robert J. , Dean NREMT-P§; and J. Michael 
Published: August 2004

Objective

: The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether school-based emergency medical services (EMS) incidents are different from nonschool-based EMS incidents for school-aged children.

Methods.

We examined South Dakota EMS incident reports involving children ages 5 to 18 years old from 1994 through 1996 (n = 12 603). Patient characteristics, dispatch reason, primary medical complaint, injury type, contributing factor of injury, and performed interventions were analyzed.

Results.

During the study period, there were 140 455 total EMS incident reports, of which 12 603 (9.0%) were for school-aged children. EMS dispatches to a school represented 755 (6.0%) of all EMS incidents for school-aged children. The number of school-based EMS incidents was highest at the beginning of the school year, whereas the number of nonschool-based EMS incidents was highest during the summer months. School-based EMS incidents peaked at noon, whereas nonschool-based EMS incidents peaked after school. For both locations, the average age of the patient was 14 years old. The dispatch reason for school-based EMS incidents differed from those for nonschool-based EMS incidents. The top three school-based EMS dispatch reasons were falls (36.2%), other trauma (27.0%), and medical illness (24.5%). Motor vehicle crashes (30.8%), medical illness (26.2%), and other trauma (11.4%) were the leading nonschool-based EMS dispatch reasons. Injuries accounted for a significantly greater proportion of school-based than nonschool-based EMS incidents (70.7% vs 62.6%). Excluding pain, the most frequent type of injury was a fracture or dislocation in school-based EMS incidents and open soft-tissue injury in nonschool-based EMS incidents. A total of 11 students sustained an injury resulting in paralysis. The body region that was most commonly injured was a lower extremity (23%) in school-based incidents, whereas the head was the most commonly injured body region in nonschool-based incidents (20%). Sports were the largest contributing factor in school-based incidents, whereas alcohol/drug use was the largest contributing factor in nonschool-based EMS incidents among school-aged children. A medical illness was the primary complaint for 206 (27.3%) of the school-based incidents and 3599 (30.4%) of the nonschool-based incidents. The chief medical complaints were breathing difficulty (18.4%), seizure (16%), and other illness (12.3%) for school-based EMS incidents. Other illness (20.0%), breathing difficulty (13.7%), and abdominal pain (12.0%) were the chief complaints for nonschool-based EMS incidents. Treatment was rendered by the EMS provider in 11 753 (93.3%) of the incidents. Frequency of EMS intervention was the same for school-based incidents and nonschool-based incidents. Transportation to a medical facility was more frequent in school-based incidents than nonschool-based incidents.

Conclusion.

Compared with nonschool-based EMS incidents, school-based EMS incidents are more often attributable to injury, more often related to a sports activity, and more often result in transport to a medical facility. Understanding the characteristics of school emergencies resulting in an EMS dispatch may help emergency medical providers be better prepared for school-based incidents. School personnel may benefit from increased knowledge about the EMS system and EMS programs. In addition, EMS incident data may provide useful information about school-based injuries and may provide a means for injury surveillance.