Training of emergency calls in BLS courses for laypersons

Resuscitation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. e108
Author(s):  
Patrick Wagner ◽  
Jan Breckwoldt
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Calls

Non Emergency Calls-Depression Coupling in Call Handlers of Rescue 1122 Punjab, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (Spring 2019) ◽  
pp. 43-55
Author(s):  
Syed Kamal Abid ◽  
Mujahid Hussain ◽  
Muhammad Raza ◽  
Rizwan-ul Haq ◽  
Rizwan Naseer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Independent Predictor ◽  
Depression Score ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Workplace Stress ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Emergency Calls ◽  
And Control ◽  
Evening Shift

The study was conducted to know whether bulk inflow of Non Emergency Calls (NECs) acts as an independent predictor for depression in call handlers of Rescue 1122, Punjab, Pakistan. Forty five (45) call handlers were recruited from evening shift of 9 districts. Similarly, same-sized control group was made out of field rescuers. The groups were compared for rate and severity level of depression using Beck’s Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996). Probable predictors (except workplace stress) for depression in call handlers were evaluated through risk estimates. For workplace stress, a purposefully developed close- ended Workplace Stress Questionnaire including two subscales i.e. Non Emergency call and Control Room Environment of 30 items each was administrated. Twenty nine (64.4%) subjects of study group reported depression on BDI. Consequently, the same group had significantly higher mean depression score than control (18.2 vs. 12.6; p = .00). The scores also showed insignificant association with any of the probable predictors (demographic variables) of the call attendees. The respondents perceived more occupational stress against NECs. The findings attract the attention of authorities towards the severity of the concern.

scholarly journals Medical dispatchers’ perception of the interaction with the caller during emergency calls - a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thea Palsgaard Møller ◽  
Hejdi Gamst Jensen ◽  
Søren Viereck ◽  
Freddy Lippert ◽  
Doris Østergaaard
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Emergency Call ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Emergency Calls ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Call Process ◽  
Complex Procedure ◽  
Call Handling ◽  
Emergency Medical Dispatchers

Abstract Background Medical dispatching is a highly complex procedure and has an impact upon patient outcome. It includes call-taking and triage, prioritization of resources and the provision of guidance and instructions to callers. Whilst emergency medical dispatchers play a key role in the process, their perception of the process is rarely reported. We explored medical dispatchers’ perception of the interaction with the caller during emergency calls. Secondly, we aimed to develop a model for emergency call handling based on these findings. Methods To provide an in-depth understanding of the dispatching process, an explorative qualitative interview study was designed. A grounded theory design and thematic analysis were applied. Results A total of 5 paramedics and 6 registered nurses were interviewed. The emerging themes derived from dispatchers’ perception of the emergency call process were related to both the callers and the medical dispatchers themselves, from which four and three themes were identified, respectively. Dispatchers reported that for callers, the motive for calling, the situation, the perception and presentation of the problem was influencing factors. For the dispatchers the expertise, teamwork and organization influenced the process. Based on the medical dispatchers´ perception, a model of the workflow and interaction between the caller and the dispatcher was developed based on themes related to the caller and the dispatcher. Conclusions According to medical dispatchers, the callers seem to lack knowledge about best utilization of the emergency number and the medical dispatching process, which can be improved by public awareness campaigns and incorporating information into first aid courses. For medical dispatchers the most potent modifiable factors were based upon the continuous professional development of the medical dispatchers and the system that supports them. The model of call handling underlines the complexity of medical dispatching that embraces the context of the call beyond clinical presentation of the problem.

scholarly journals Emergency physician’s dispatch by a paramedic-staffed emergency medical communication centre: sensitivity, specificity and search for a reference standard

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Nathan Chappuis ◽  
Hélène Deham ◽  
Philippe Cottet ◽  
Birgit Andrea Gartner ◽  
François Pierre Sarasin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reference Standard ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
First Line ◽  
Emergency Calls ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Dispatch Centre ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
Level Of Risk

Abstract Background Some emergency medical systems (EMS) use a dispatch centre where nurses or paramedics assess emergency calls and dispatch ambulances. Paramedics may also provide the first tier of care “in the field”, with the second tier being an Emergency Physician (EP). In these systems, the appropriateness of the decision to dispatch an EP to the first line at the same time as the ambulance has not often been measured. The main objective of this study was to compare dispatching an EP as part of the first line emergency service with the severity of the patient’s condition. The secondary objective was to highlight the need for a recognized reference standard to compare performance analyses across EMS. Methods This prospective observational study included all emergency calls received in Geneva’s dispatch centre between January 1st, 2016 and June 30th, 2019. Emergency medical dispatchers (EMD) assigned a level of risk to patients at the time of the initial call. Only the highest level of risk led to the dispatch of an EP. The severity of the patient’s condition observed in the field was measured using the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) scale. Two reference standards were proposed by dichotomizing the NACA scale. The first compared NACA≥4 with other conditions and the second compared NACA≥5 with other conditions. The level of risk identified during the initial call was then compared to the dichotomized NACA scales. Results 97′861 assessments were included. Overall prevalence of sending an EP as first line was 13.11, 95% CI [12.90–13.32], and second line was 2.94, 95% CI [2.84–3.05]. Including NACA≥4, prevalence was 21.41, 95% CI [21.15–21.67], sensitivity was 36.2, 95% CI [35.5–36.9] and specificity 93.2 95% CI [93–93.4]. The Area Under the Receiver-Operating Characteristics curve (AUROC) of 0.7507, 95% CI [0.74734–0.75397] was acceptable. Looking NACA≥5, prevalence was 3.09, 95% CI [2.98–3.20], sensitivity was 64.4, 95% CI [62.7–66.1] and specificity 88.5, 95% CI [88.3–88.7]. We found an excellent AUROC of 0.8229, 95% CI [0.81623–0.82950]. Conclusion The assessment by Geneva’s EMD has good specificity but low sensitivity for sending EPs. The dichotomy between immediate life-threatening and other emergencies could be a valid reference standard for future studies to measure the EP’s dispatching performance.

scholarly journals Increased Emergency Calls during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A National Retrospective Study

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Ahmed Al-Wathinani ◽  
Attila J. Hertelendy ◽  
Sultana Alhurishi ◽  
Abdulmajeed Mobrad ◽  
Riyadh Alhazmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Emergency Calls ◽  
The World ◽  
Staffing Patterns ◽  
The Impact

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has a direct and indirect effect on the different healthcare systems around the world. In this study, we aim to describe the impact on the utilization of emergency medical services (EMS) in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied cumulative data from emergency calls collected from the SRCA. Data were separated into three periods: before COVID-19 (1 January–29 February 2020), during COVID-19 (1 March–23 April 2020), and during the Holy Month of Ramadan (24 April–23 May 2020). A marked increase of cases was handled during the COVID-19 period compared to the number before pandemic. Increases in all types of cases, except for those related to trauma, occurred during COVID-19, with all regions experiencing increased call volumes during COVID-19 compared with before pandemic. Demand for EMS significantly increased throughout Saudi Arabia during the pandemic period. Use of the mobile application ASAFNY to request an ambulance almost doubled during the pandemic but remained a small fraction of total calls. Altered weekly call patterns and increased call volume during the pandemic indicated not only a need for increased staff but an alteration in staffing patterns.

Use of medical emergency call data as a marker of quality of emergency department care in the post-National Emergency Access Target era

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Lorraine Westacott ◽  
Judy Graves ◽  
Mohsina Khatun ◽  
John Burke
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Emergency Admission ◽  
Emergency Call ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Model Of Care ◽  
Emergency Calls

Objectives Any new model of care should always be accompanied by rigorous monitoring to ensure that there are no negative consequences, especially any that impact upon patient safety. In 2013, ‘THERMoSTAT’ (Two- Hour Evaluation and Referral Model for Shorter Turnaround Times), an emergency department model of care developed by Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital staff was launched to gain efficiencies and improve hospital National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) compliance. The aim of this study was to trial the use of medical emergency call data as a novel marker of the quality of care delivered by our emergency department. Methods Incidence of medical emergency calls for hospital emergency admission patients for the 2 years pre- and 1 year post-THERMoSTAT were compared after standardising for overall hospital activity. Results During the study period, hospital activity increased 10%, and the emergency department experienced a total of 222 645 presentations, 68 000 (30.5%) of which converted into an admission. THERMoSTAT improved NEAT compliance by 17% (from 57.7% to 74.9%) with no change in any patient-safety indicators. A total of 8432 medical emergency calls were made on 5930 patients, 2831 of whom were emergency admissions. After adjusting for hospital activity, there was no change in the average number of patients per week who triggered a medical emergency call after the introduction of THERMoSTAT. These results were reproduced when data was analysed for: total number of inpatients triggering calls; emergency admission patients; and emergency admission patients within the first 24 h or first 4 h of admission. Conclusions This is the first report to investigate the correlation between inpatient medical emergency call incidence and emergency department model of care. Medical emergency call data showed significant promise as a measure of morbidity and as a more direct, objective, simple, quantitative and meaningful measure of patient safety. What is known about the topic? It is well established that extended emergency department lengths of stay are associated with poorer patient outcomes. The corollary of this is not always true however; shorter emergency department length of stay does not automatically translate into better care. Although the underlying philosophy of NEAT is to enhance patient care, there is a risk of negative consequences if NEAT is seen as an end in itself. Many of the commonly used emergency department key performance indicators focus on the timeliness of care and there is a scarcity of easily quantifiable markers that reliably reflect the quality of that care. What does this paper add? This study builds on the concept of medical emergency call incidence as a marker of safety and quality. It explores the utility of using the number of medical emergency calls made in the first few hours of an emergency admission as an indicator of the quality of care delivered by the emergency department. This is significant because it introduces a measure that has a focus that embraces more than the timeliness of care only. What are the implications for practitioners? If medical emergency call incidence in early emergency admissions can be proven to accurately reflect emergency department quality of care then it would provide an easily monitored, objective, quantitative and prompt measure that evaluates dimensions other than timeliness.

scholarly journals RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF EVENTS OF DEATH AT HOME AMONG PATIENTS UNDER FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATION

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-74
Author(s):  
Ya P Sandakov
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Emergency Calls ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Duration Of Disease ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Age Of Death ◽  
At Home

Aim. To study the peculiarities of asking for medical care by patients from among those dead at home, who had been under follow-up observation. Materials and methods. The data, received from ambulatory medical records of 100 dead at home patients with follow-up, were analyzed using the methods of descriptive and inductive statistics. Results. A mean age of death was 74.9 ± 13.4 years, men - 65.8 ± 14.1 years, women - 79.2 ± 10.9 years. Cardiovascular diseases were the cause of follow-up observation in 78 % of cases and the cause of death in 85 %; in 30 % of patients the disease was detected while carrying out prophylactic medical examination. A mean duration of disease by the moment of death was 13.0 ± 8.0 years, among pensioners 13.7 ± 8.5 years, in able-bodied persons 9.6 ± 4.3 years. A mean duration of follow-up observation was 9.2 ± 5.8 years. An average number of planned visits was 2.8 ± 0.89, but the number of real visits during the last year of follow-up observation was 2.4 ± 1.2. Disability was registered in 77.6 % of patients, concomitant diseases - in all patients. For the last year, exacerbations were recorded in 92 % of patients, emergency calls - in 80 %, hospitalization events - 52 %, including 55.8 % - urgent ones. Conclusions. The absence of significant difference regarding the duration of disease between pensioners and able-bodied patients (т = 0.16, р = 1.43) as well as the absence of correlation between the age and duration of disease (χ2 = 0.19, p = 0.2) indirectly prove the influence of duration of disease on its outcome, but not the age. Attendance, characterizing clinical loyalty to treatment, does not depend on age (χ2 = -0.19, р = 0.18), sex (т = 1.0, р = 0.32), way of detecting disease (f = 0.9, p = 0.4), class of main disease (f = 0.91, p = 0.44), duration of disease (χ2 = -0.13, р = 0.49), exacerbations (χ2 = -0.17, р = 0.24), concomitant diseases (χ2 = 0.006, р = 0.9). The number of emergency calls, hospitalizations, urgent hospitalizations does not depend on duration of follow-up observation, regularity and number of real visits to a doctor (p > 0.05) that indicates unsatisfactory quality of follow-up observation.

scholarly journals Clinical Predictors of Mortality in Prehospital Distress Calls by Emergency Medical Service Subscribers

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (22) ◽  
pp. 5355
Author(s):  
Gabby Elbaz-Greener ◽  
Shemy Carasso ◽  
Elad Maor ◽  
Lior Gallimidi ◽  
Merav Yarkoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Clinical Predictors ◽  
Emergency Calls ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
Early Decision ◽  
Risk Predictors

(1) Introduction: Most studies rely on in-hospital data to predict cardiovascular risk and do not include prehospital information that is substantially important for early decision making. The aim of the study was to define clinical parameters in the prehospital setting, which may affect clinical outcomes. (2) Methods: In this population-based study, we performed a retrospective analysis of emergency calls that were made by patients to the largest private emergency medical services (EMS) in Israel, SHL Telemedicine Ltd., who were treated on-site by the EMS team. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Mortality was evaluated at three time points: 1, 3, and 12 months’ follow-up. The first EMS prehospital measurements of the systolic blood pressure (SBP) were recorded and analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed. (3) Results: A total of 64,320 emergency calls were included with a follow-up of 12 months post index EMS call. Fifty-five percent of patients were men and the mean age was 70.2 ± 13.1 years. During follow-up of 12 months, 7.6% of patients died. Age above 80 years (OR 3.34; 95% CI 3.03–3.69, p < 0.005), first EMS SBP ≤ 130 mm Hg (OR 2.61; 95% CI 2.36–2.88, p < 0.005), dyspnea at presentation (OR 2.55; 95% CI 2.29–2.83, p < 0001), and chest pain with ischemic ECG changes (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.71–2.23, p < 0.001) were the highest predictors of 1 month mortality and remained so for mortality at 3 and 12 months. In contrast, history of hypertension and first EMS prehospital SBP ≥ 160 mm Hg were significantly associated with decreased mortality at 1, 3 and 12 months. (4) Conclusions: We identified risk predictors for all-cause mortality in a large cohort of patients during prehospital EMS calls. Age over 80 years, first EMS-documented prehospital SBP < 130 mm Hg, and dyspnea at presentation were the most profound risk predictors for short- and long-term mortality. The current study demonstrates that in prehospital EMS call settings, several parameters can be used to improve prioritization and management of high-risk patients.

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