Background: As the number of older adults is increasing, the health care services such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) should be promoted. One of the preconditions for the use of health services is awareness of these services and their terms of use. This study is conducted to evaluate the awareness of the older adults in Tabriz about EMS and the terms of services.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in a representative sample of over 60 years old noninstitutionalized population in Tabriz (Iran). It included 1062 participants (514 males and 548 females) who were selected using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling method. Service awareness is considered as being informed about the existence of the EMS. Knowledge about EMS is defined as knowing the EMS phone number and knowledge about its free and 24-hour service. After completing the informed consent, data collection was conducted in the households of the participants. Data analysis was conducted using logistic regression.
Results: The findings showed that 47% of the older adults were not familiar with the EMS system. Awareness of EMS in males (63.4%) was higher than females (44.2%) and also it was higher among those born in cities (61.2%) than rural areas (46.1%). Holding primary, secondary, and higher education compared with illiteracy had higher chance of awareness of EMS by more than 2, 4, and 12 times respectively (OR= 2.53, OR= 4.69, and OR= 12.09).
Conclusion: Due to high rate of illiteracy and low public awareness, older adults do not have appropriate knowledge about the facilities, conditions, and terms of using EMS and may not be able to demand some of their essential services; therefore, notifying and increasing awareness about the available services to older adults are necessary.