Access to Emergency Services and Survivability of Gunshot Wounds

• In Event: Understanding and Preventing Gun Violence and Other Forms of Harm

Abstract

Prior research has demonstrated the importance of distance from care on survivability of traumatic injuries, but little research has examined the impact of distance from care for victims of gunshot wounds specifically. Importantly, structural disadvantage and violent crime are empirically linked, but the impact of availability of medical care in disadvantaged communities is not yet well understood. Using nationwide data from the United States National Emergency Management Services Information System (NEMSIS), we measure the impact of the immediacy of life-saving care response on mortality among 66,000 shooting incidents to which paramedics responded in 2022. We further examine excess mortality by geographic region and urbanicity to demonstrate a possible mechanism through which structural disadvantage impacts violent crime that has not previously been detailed. We additionally measure the contribution of delays to getting to the scene and securing the scene to mortality risk. We find that the survivability of gunshot wounds varies widely across regions and urbanicity levels, even after controlling for time to care.

Authors

• Madisen Placzkowski, University of Maryland, College Park

• Greg Midgette, University of Maryland, College Park

• Lauren Porter, University of Maryland

• Toryn Sperry, University of Maryland, College Park