An observational study in Drowning, Drowning, Near and Submersion, sponsored by Prehospital Center, Region Zealand. Status unknown at 1 site in Denmark. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-27.
Sponsored by Prehospital Center, Region Zealand · Observational
Since 2015, all Danish prehospital EMS have used the nationwide Prehospital Electronic Medical Record (PEMR). In 2023, the investigators developed the Danish Drowning Formula (DDF), a text-search algorithm designed to search the unstructured text fields in the electronic medical records with comprehensive search criteria to identify all potential water-related incidents. This protocol describes the first study to analyse the prehospital data from a nationwide Danish cohort of patients treated by the EMS from 2016 to 2023 following non-drowning aquatic rescues.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to establish recommendations towards specific educational, preventative, or rescue strategies to reduce the number of aquatic rescues in Denmark (e.g., campaigns targeting high-risk groups, or fencing, allocating rescue equipment, or establishing lifeguard stations in high-risk areas). This may not only enhance prevention of aquatic rescues but also decrease the mortality and the total number of drowning incidents in Denmark.
Objectives The primary objective is to estimate the yearly incidence of patients treated by the Danish EMS following a non-drowning aquatic rescue from 2016 to 2023 and calculate the aquatic rescue to drowning ratio. The secondary objectives are to characterise the rescues (e.g., lay rescuer or professional rescuer, use of equipment) and to report the spatial distribution.
Study design This study is a nationwide registry-based study with data from the Danish nationwide PEMR from 2016 to 2023.
Methods Since 2015, all Danish prehospital EMS have used the nationwide Prehospital Electronic Medical Record (PEMR). In 2023, the investigators developed the Danish Drowning Formula (DDF), a text-search algorithm designed to search the unstructured text fields in the electronic medical records with comprehensive search criteria to identify all potential water-related incidents. This study will be the first to analyse the prehospital data from a nationwide Danish cohort of patients treated by the EMS from 2016 to 2023 following non-drowning aquatic rescues.
21 studies on the registry are indexed under Drowning; 6 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 3,000 is above the median of 1,099 across 14 observational studies indexed under Drowning.
Browse Drowning studies →Prehospital Center, Region Zealand is the lead sponsor of 16 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Patients treated by the Danish EMS following an aquatic rescue are identified from the Danish Prehospital Electronic Medical Record using the Danish Drowning Formula and extensive manual validation.
We used the WHO definition of drowning supported by the "Clarification and Categorisation of Non-fatal Drowning" statement to differentiate between drowning and non-drowning aquatic rescues.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients treated by the Danish EMS following an aquatic rescue performed by lay or professional rescuers are identified from the Danish PEMR using the Danish Drowning Formula (DDF) and extensive manual validation.
Other: Submersion or immersion in liquid
The patient must have been submersed or immersed in liquid.
The annual incidence.
The incidence will be reported as the annual number of cases.
Time frame: From 2016 to 2023.
The annual incidence rate.
The incidence rate will be reported as the annual number of cases per 100,000 person-years.
Time frame: From 2016 to 2023.
The spatial distribution of aquatic rescues on a map of Denmark.
Each incident will be presented with a single entry based on the geographical coordinates of the incident.
Time frame: From 2016-2023.
Plan to share: No — The datasets used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Started Jan 2016 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2025, 119 months after the start.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is status unknown, as verified in Mar 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Prehospital Center, Region Zealand