Ambulance Use by International Travelers in Japan: A Retrospective Descriptive Study
<strong>Introduction:</strong> Reports indicate that 22%–64% of travelers experience some illness when in a foreign country. To date, no prior study has reported the use of ambulances by travelers or the epidemiology of travel-related injury.<br /> <strong>Methods:</strong...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
International Travel Medicine Center of Iran
2020-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ijtmgh.com/article_104728_8b8e48d15513c4d3ef58b15ca6183d64.pdf |
| Summary: | <strong>Introduction:</strong> Reports indicate that 22%–64% of travelers experience some illness when in a foreign country. To date, no prior study has reported the use of ambulances by travelers or the epidemiology of travel-related injury.<br /> <strong>Methods:</strong> In this retrospective study, we aimed to describe ambulance use by international travelers, including the rates of travel-related injury and illness. To do so, ambulance dispatch data from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018 was used.<br /> <strong>Results:</strong> Overall, of the 43 201 cases of ambulance use during the study period, 524 (1.2%) were international travelers. Ambulance use by international travelers increased from 0.35% in 2010 (15/4311) to 2.54% in 2018 (125/4913), an average annual increase of 0.27%. Of the international travelers, 392 (74.8%) had minor complaints, 110 cases (21.0%) had moderate complaints, 280 (53.4%) had internal disease, and 223 cases (42.6%) had suffered trauma. Regarding location, 253 (48.3%) were from a hotel/lodge, 83 (15.8%) were from a road/parking, and 30 (5.7%) were in the forest/mountain.<br /> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Most international travelers use ambulances for minor complaints, typically internal disease or trauma, and approximately half access the service from a hotel or lodge. |
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| ISSN: | 2322-1100 2476-5759 |