Abstract:
Objective To analyze the basic characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution patterns of pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) demand in Beijing from 2018 to 2024, providing evidence for optimizing EMS resource allocation.
Methods Using pre-hospital EMS data from the Beijing Emergency Medical Center (2018–2024), descriptive statistics and spatiotemporal analysis were applied to quantify demand patterns and explore distribution features across time and space.
Results Total demand and call fulfillment rate: EMS demand showed rapid initial growth followed by a slight decline, with call fulfillment rates improving to 100%. Differences in demographic and sociological characteristics: Among the patients, males accounted for 53.06%–53.85%, while females accounted for 46.15%–46.94%. Compared to the proportion of females, the proportion of males was significantly higher, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). Patients aged 60 and above accounted for 53.15%–56.43%. Task types and epidemiological patterns: Treatment missions constituted 73.31%–79.16%, while inter-hospital transfers increased from 14.57% (2018) to 18.53% (2024). Trauma/injuries were the leading cause of EMS calls, followed by cardiovascular/circulatory diseases. Temporal patterns: Seasonal fluctuations exhibited "winter peaks and Spring Festival troughs," with significantly higher demand on workdays (workday/non-workday ratio increased from 1.03 to 1.11). Spatial distribution: Chaoyang District had the highest annual call volumes, while Xicheng District led in per-capita demand. The six urban districts showed markedly higher annual growth in per-capita EMS demand than non-urban districts (15.88% vs. 12.90%), indicating pronounced regional disparities.
Conclusions Pre-hospital EMS demand in Beijing demonstrates significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, influenced by population aging, circadian rhythms, and megacity development imbalances. Optimizing resource allocation is recommended to enhance response efficiency, healthcare equity, and urban health resilience.