TY - JOUR

T1 - Medical evacuations in Greenland in 2018

T2 - a descriptive study

AU - Pedersen, Helena Breum

AU - Pedersen, Bastian Breum

AU - Biilmann, Mark

AU - Møller, Malik

AU - Lohse, Nicolai

AU - Vedsted, Peter

AU - Mikkelsen, Søren

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Information regarding medical evacuations in Greenland is sparse. This study provides an overview of incidence, costs, and diagnoses leading to medical evacuations in Greenland in 2018. This is a retrospective, observational study. Patients with a valid Danish civil personal registration number were included. Data were obtained by scrutinising the itinerary of the Greenland travel coordination office and the medical records. 481 patients were identified. Forty-nine patients were excluded. 432 patients were analysed. Two-thirds of the evacuations were carried out within Greenland. The overall incidence of evacuations was 7.7 evacuations per 1,000 inhabitants per year. This differed, however, between the five different health regions. The cost of a medical evacuation ranged from less than 4,800 US dollars to more than 50,000 US dollars per case. Pregnancy and childbirth accounted for the majority of evacuations in women (31.2%) while diseases within the circulatory system and digestive tract accounted for the majority of evacuations in men (39.8%). The costs of medical evacuations may be reduced when combining evacuations of more than one patient. This indicates that combining evacuations of multiple patients from one health region by applying mandatory use of a central coordinating service may be beneficial.

AB - Information regarding medical evacuations in Greenland is sparse. This study provides an overview of incidence, costs, and diagnoses leading to medical evacuations in Greenland in 2018. This is a retrospective, observational study. Patients with a valid Danish civil personal registration number were included. Data were obtained by scrutinising the itinerary of the Greenland travel coordination office and the medical records. 481 patients were identified. Forty-nine patients were excluded. 432 patients were analysed. Two-thirds of the evacuations were carried out within Greenland. The overall incidence of evacuations was 7.7 evacuations per 1,000 inhabitants per year. This differed, however, between the five different health regions. The cost of a medical evacuation ranged from less than 4,800 US dollars to more than 50,000 US dollars per case. Pregnancy and childbirth accounted for the majority of evacuations in women (31.2%) while diseases within the circulatory system and digestive tract accounted for the majority of evacuations in men (39.8%). The costs of medical evacuations may be reduced when combining evacuations of more than one patient. This indicates that combining evacuations of multiple patients from one health region by applying mandatory use of a central coordinating service may be beneficial.

KW - arctic evacuation

KW - Greenland medical evacuations

KW - health care system in Greenland

KW - interhospital transports

U2 - 10.1080/22423982.2021.2014634

DO - 10.1080/22423982.2021.2014634

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34939902

AN - SCOPUS:85121607042

VL - 81

JO - International Journal of Circumpolar Health

JF - International Journal of Circumpolar Health

SN - 1239-9744

IS - 1

M1 - 2014634

ER -