Retrospective Analysis of the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Dispatched by the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) at Tuen Mun Hospital

Summary: Prehospital emergency care, a subspecialty of Emergency Medicine, is primarily provided by the Ambulance Command of the Fire Service Department in Hong Kong. The Government Flying Service also provides emergency care in Hong Kong’s airspace and a significant portion of the South China Sea. As part of the Hospital Authority Accident & Emergency Department response, Medical Control Officers (MCOs) and Emergency Medical Team (EMT) are dispatched to disaster scenes to provide on-site triage, emergency stabilization treatment, and advice on orderly diversions to hospitals. The objectives of this analysis were: • To examine the nature of EMT activations • To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of EMT patients • To analyze the location of accident blackspots in the Tuen Mun District Data were collected retrospectively from the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care database in the Accident and Emergency Department from January 1st, 2011, to December 31st, 2021. All clinical records were reviewed. During the study period, there were 20 episodes of EMT dispatch. Notably, there were no EMT activations in 2012, 2017, and 2018. Most EMT patients were male (90% male, 10% female). The nature of EMT activations was categorized as follows: A. Prolonged rescue with patients entrapped for over 30 minutes: Motor vehicle crashes (45%), Severe industrial accidents (30%), Building collapses (5%). B. No EMT activations were dispatched for Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI). C. Other activations were escorting critically ill cross-border cases (20%). In terms of discharge destination, 70% of patients were admitted to the hospital, while 30% unfortunately resulted in death. Maintaining vigilance and continuous training for the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) is essential, especially considering the small and uneven yearly numbers. Regarding the clinical training of EMTs, multiple government departments implemented preventive measures for black spots in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), e.g., improving road infrastructure.