Logo-ija
Int J Aging. 2023;1: e3.
doi: 10.34172/ija.2023.e3
  Abstract View: 846
  PDF Download: 585

Original Article

Challenges of Emergency Medical Services Utilization by Older Adults in Tabriz, Iran: Data from Health Status of Aged People in Tabriz (HSA-T Study)

Rouzbeh Rajaei Ghafouri 1 ORCID logo, Mostafa Araj-Khodaei 2 ORCID logo, Mehdi Abbasian 3 ORCID logo, Mohammad Hasan Sahebihagh 4 ORCID logo, Asghar Mohammadpoorasl 4 ORCID logo, Zahra Parsian 5 ORCID logo, Mahmood Yousefi 4 ORCID logo, Sarvin Sanaie 6* ORCID logo, Akbar Azizi-Zeinalhajlou 7* ORCID logo

1 Road Traffic Injury Prevention Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 Student Research Committee, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
4 Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
5 Clinical Fellow Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TRUST, England, United Kingdom
6 Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
7 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
*Corresponding Authors: Corresponding Author: Sarvin Sanaie, Email: , Email: sarvin_so2000@yahoo.com; Corresponding Author: Akbar Azizi-Zeinalhajlou, Email: , Email: akbarazizi55@gmail.com

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the awareness of older adults in Tabriz of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the terms of services.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting(s): Tabriz, the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province, in northwestern Iran.

Participants: A representative sample of≥60 years old noninstitutionalized population containing 1071 participants (514 males and 557 females) in the health status of aged people in Tabriz (HSA-T) study was selected using the probability proportional to the size (PPS) sampling method. Out of all the participants in the HAS-T study, 1062 participants (514 males and 548 females) completed the questionnaire regarding the awareness and knowledge of EMS.

Outcome measures: Service awareness means being informed about the existence of the EMS. Knowledge about EMS is defined as knowing the EMS phone number and knowledge about its free and 24-hour services.

Results: Forty-seven percent of the older adults were not familiar with the EMS system. The awareness of EMS in males was higher than that in females (63.4% vs. 44.4%, P<0.001), and it was also higher among those born in cities than those in rural areas (61.2% vs. 46.1%, P<0.001). Furthermore, individuals who hold primary, secondary, and higher education had a higher chance of awareness of EMS compared with illiterate people by more than 2, 4, and 12 times, respectively Odds ratio (OR)=2.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.81–3.52, OR=4.69; 95% CI: 2.79–7.91, and OR=12.09; 95% CI: 4.88–29.94).

Conclusions: Due to the high rate of illiteracy and low public awareness, older adults do not have appropriate knowledge about the facilities, conditions, and terms of using EMS and may not be able to demand some of their essential services; therefore, notifying and increasing the older adults’ awareness of the available services is necessary.


Please cite this article as follows: Rajaei Ghafouri R, Araj-Khodaei M, Abbasian M, Sahebihagh MH, Mohammadpoorasl A, Parsian Z, et al. Challenges of emergency medical services utilization by older adults in Tabriz, Iran: data from health status of aged people in Tabriz (HSA-T Study). Int J Aging. 2023;1: e3. doi: 10.34172/ija.2023.e3
First Name
 
Last Name
 
Email Address
 
Comments
 
Security code


Abstract View: 847

Your browser does not support the canvas element.


PDF Download: 585

Your browser does not support the canvas element.

Submitted: 10 Jan 2023
Revision: 09 Feb 2023
Accepted: 13 Feb 2023
ePublished: 14 Mar 2023
EndNote EndNote

(Enw Format - Win & Mac)

BibTeX BibTeX

(Bib Format - Win & Mac)

Bookends Bookends

(Ris Format - Mac only)

EasyBib EasyBib

(Ris Format - Win & Mac)

Medlars Medlars

(Txt Format - Win & Mac)

Mendeley Web Mendeley Web
Mendeley Mendeley

(Ris Format - Win & Mac)

Papers Papers

(Ris Format - Win & Mac)

ProCite ProCite

(Ris Format - Win & Mac)

Reference Manager Reference Manager

(Ris Format - Win only)

Refworks Refworks

(Refworks Format - Win & Mac)

Zotero Zotero

(Ris Format - Firefox Plugin)