Cardiac arrest & resuscitation
Effect of a national awareness campaign on ambulance attendances for chest pain and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
Authors' conclusion
A national awareness campaign targeting knowledge of heart attack symptoms was associated with an increase in EMS use for chest pain and a reduction in OHCA incidence
Study context
- Population
- Emergency medical service (EMS) attendances for chest pain (5 Australian regions) and EMS-attended out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (3 Australian regions), 2005–201797,860 OHCA
- Exposure
- Months with campaign activity vs months without
- Outcome
- Monthly incidence of EMS attendances for chest pain and OHCA
Methodological detailsmultiregional, multivariable negative binomial models, Regions exposed to between 11 and 28 months of campaign media activity
- Multiregional
- Multivariable negative binomial models
- Regions exposed to between 11 and 28 months of campaign media activity
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Campaign months vs Non-campaign monthsIncidence rate ratio (95% CI)
EMS attendances for chest pain: 8.8% increase
1.09(1.07–1.11)
OHCA attendances: 5.6% reduction
0.94(0.92–0.97)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | IRR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| OHCA, stratified analyses (subgroups)Campaign months vs Non-campaign months · unwitnessed arrests | 0.93 (0.90–0.96) | |
| OHCA, stratified analyses (subgroups)Campaign months vs Non-campaign months · initial non-shockable arrests | 0.93 (0.90–0.97) | |
| OHCA, stratified analyses (subgroups)Campaign months vs Non-campaign months · arrests in private residences | 0.95 (0.91–0.98) | |
| 0.512Incidence rate ratio (log scale) |
Dose-response: intervention effect
- Larger effects with increasing months of campaign activity, increasing monthly media spending and media exposure in 2013
Original publication
Effect of a national awareness campaign on ambulance attendances for chest pain and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. Published 8 August 2023. doi:10.
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