AUTHOR=Choi Young , Park Seoyoung , Cho Kyoung Hee 
  
TITLE=Association Between Inequality of Emergency Medical Supply Resources and In-Hospital Mortality in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
  
JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health
  
VOLUME=Volume 70 - 2025
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2025.1608533
  
DOI=10.3389/ijph.2025.1608533
  
ISSN=1661-8564
  
ABSTRACT=ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between regional inequality in emergency medical supply resources and in-hospital mortality among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in South Korea.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service claims database, focusing on 53,770 AMI patients admitted to emergency departments between 2012 and 2020. The inequality index of emergency medical supply resources was calculated based on the availability of emergency percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) within each region.ResultsAmong 53,770 AMI patients, 4,840 (9.0%) died in-hospital. After adjusting for covariates, patients residing in areas with higher inequality indices had increased risk of in-hospital mortality compared to those in areas with the lowest inequality (index 0.50–0.75: HR 1.504, 95% CI 1.198–1.889; index ≥0.75: HR 1.689, 95% CI 1.493–1.910).ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of equitable distribution of emergency medical resources to reduce in-hospital mortality among AMI patients. Policymakers should prioritize strategies to address regional disparities in emergency medical supply resources to improve health outcomes.