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), School of Geography, University of Leicester, Loughborough University, 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 (co-lead), CaHRU, University of Lincoln
  • Prof Gina Agarwal (co-lead), 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
  • Bartholomew Hill, Water Engineering Development Centre (WEDC),  Loughborough University
  • Dr Melissa Pirrie, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • Dr Iwona Bielska, 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
  • Loughborough University, 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

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

  1. 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 Publications

Agarwal G, Siriwardena AN, McLeod B EDGE Consortium et al. Development of Indicators for Avoidable Emergency Medical Service Calls by Mapping Paramedic Clinical Impression Codes to Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions and Mental Health Conditions in the UK and Canada. BMJ Open 2023;13: e073520.

Moore H, Siriwardena AN, Gussy M, Spaight R. Mental health emergencies attended by ambulances in the United Kingdom, and the implications for health service delivery: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy 2023; 28(2):138-146.

Moore H, Hill B, Tanser F, Siriwardena AN, Gussy M, Cutts M, Spaight R. Characterising unusual spatial clusters of male mental health emergencies occurring during the first national COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ in the East Midlands region, UK: a geospatial analysis of ambulance 999 data. American Journal of Men’s Health 2022; 16(3):1-24.

Moore H, Hill B, Gussy M, Siriwardena AN, Tanser F, Spaight R, Law G, Thomas C. An exploration of factors characterising unusual spatial clusters of COVID-19 cases in the East Midlands region, UK: a geospatial analysis of ambulance 999 data. Landscape and Urban Planning 2022; 219: 104299.

Moore HE, Hill B, Siriwardena AN, Tanser F, Spaight R. Rethinking the health implications of society-environment relationships in built areas: an assessment of the Access to Healthy and Hazards Index in the context of COVID-19. Landscape and Urban Planning 2021; 217: 104265.

Moore H, Siriwardena AN, Gussy M, Tanser F, Hill B, Spaight R. Mental health emergencies and COVID-19: the impact of ‘lockdown’ in the East Midlands of the UK. Br J Psy Open 2021; 7(e139): 1–7.

Ferron R, Agarwal G, Cooper R, Munkley D. The effect of COVID-19 on emergency medical service call volumes and patient acuity: a cross-sectional study in Niagara, Ontario. BMC Emerg Med. 2021 ;21(1): 39.

Impact We aim to create impact by using the findings to inform future Emergency Medical Services provision and design.