UK Canada Emergency calls Data analysis and GEospatial mapping (EDGE) Consortium

Partnership

 In 2020 we formed the UK Canada Emergency calls Data analysis and GEospatial mapping (EDGE) Consortium co-led by McMaster University in Canada and the University of Lincoln with the Community and Health Research unit (CaHRU), the Lincoln International Institute of Rural Health (LIIRH) and School of Geography, University of Leicester, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and Niagara Emergency Medical Services.
Funding
  • 2020-2021 Research England UKRI QR Strategic Priorities Fund
  • 2020-2021 NIHR Applied Research Collaboration
  • 2019-2020 Geography Seed Grant Funding
Total funding to date  £30,000
Team members
  • Prof Niro Siriwardena, CaHRU, University of Lincoln
  • Prof Gina Agarwal, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • Richard Ferron, Niagara Medical Services, Ontario, Canada
  • Brent McCleod, Community Paramedicine Supervisor for Ontario region
  • Rob Spaight, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  • Prof Frank Tanser, International Institute for Rural Health Care, University of Lincoln
  • Prof Mark Gussy, International Institute for Rural Health Care, University of Lincoln
  • Dr Harriet Moore, School of Human Geography, University of Lincoln
  • Dr Melissa Pirrie, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • Dr Ric Angelis, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • Ms Rhiannon Cooper, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • Prof Kamlesh Khunti, Leicester Diabetes Centre, University of Leicester
  • Prof Graham Law, CaHRU, University of Lincoln
Consortium members
  • University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
  • McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • University of Leicester, UK
  • Niagara Medical Services, Ontario, Canada
  • East Midlands Ambulance Service NHs Trust, UK
Overarching aim The consortium aims to investigate the epidemiology of 999 ambulance attendances for ambulatory care sensitive and COVID-19 related emergency call in the East Midlands and Ontario, Canada.
Objectives Primary objective

  1. To identify unique single and co-occurring spatial clusters of most commonly occurring NHS ambulatory conditions for younger and older populations using EMAS data for acute presentations in the UK, and equivalent emergency service data for Ontario, Canada.

Secondary objectives

To conduct a comparative analysis of Emergency Medical Systems (ambulance) in the UK (East Midlands) and Canada (Ontario), including:

2. To identify spatial clusters of higher/lower than expected occurrence of single and multiple acute conditions with consideration of socioeconomic and environmental factors.

3. To explore underlying mechanisms and factors that influence the spatial dynamics of emergency presentations.

4. To elucidate pathways and mechanisms that explain the observed single and multimorbidity patterns by analysing multi-scale data, including big spatial data.

5. To explore factors linked with transportation rates for acute presentations in people with underlying or multiple at-risk factors for suspected SARS-COV2 infection (e.g. chronic heart, lung and kidney disease or diabetes).
Methods Spatial cluster, statistical and epidemiological analysis.
Outcomes A key outcome will be the development of collaborative partnerships between the UK and Canada involving universities and ambulance services in the East Midlands and Ontario with a focus on rural healthcare.

We will use this pump priming as the basis for submission for external funding to further develop research in this area on a wider scale.
Outputs Peer reviewed publications and conference presentations.
Impact We aim to create impact by using the findings to inform future Emergency Medical Services provision and design.