Characteristics of Patients Treated by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in Ireland from 2012 to 2022: A Retrospective Analysis of Ten Years of Data

A dedicated primary scene landing Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) has been in operation in Ireland since 2012. Commencing with a unique collaboration between the Irish Aer Corps and civilian Emergency Medical Services (EMS) it has expanded to include a second charity funded model in the south west of the country. Both services operate under a single governance and dispatch system and provide an Advanced Paramedic level of care to the patients they serve. There is limited published literature on prehospital care in Ireland and to date no detailed descriptive study of patients treated by HEMS in Ireland. This research describes the characteristics of the patients treated by HEMS in Ireland.