Previously, researchers have identified barriers and facilitators to using 911 in Black and Hispanic communities. However, there are many other groups that have access to 911 service, who have not yet been represented in the literature. Prior to this study, a Community Engagement Studio (a focus group forum) was held to solicit input from representatives of various diverse communities in Salt Lake Valley on their attitudes, experiences, and perceptions of their local 911 services.
With the increased importance placed on cultivating a translational workforce, there has been demand for emergency dispatching professionals to be more involved in research activities intended to improve patient outcomes. Through interviewing emergency dispatch professionals who attended a research training program, this project sought to better understand how to create more effective research partnerships with practitioners interested in doing research relevant to their field...
The overall objective of the study was
to determine whether layperson callers
can effectively stop simulated bleeding
using an improvised or a commercial
tourniquet, when provided with scripted
instructions via phone from a trained
protocol-aided EMD.
Studies have cited dispatcher claims of
significant emotional, mental, and
physical stress as a result of their work,
however, there is very little literature that
ranks in order of prevalence or severity
the factors contributing to overall stress
specific to emergency dispatchers. The
aim of this study is to collect data that
will complement other research findings
in this field to inform the development of
new programs designed to address
specific factors contributing to dispatch
stress and build better psychological
health among this group.
The objectives of this study were to
describe the barriers to achieving. ACE
and to identify characteristics that
indicate success with respect to achieving
and maintaining ACE status.
Anecdotally, numerous MPDS® (Priority Dispatch Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)-user agencies in the USA, Canada, UK, and Brazil have reported that the emergency caller has difficulty understanding the key question (KQ) “Is s/he completely alert?”
Situational awareness (SA, also called
situation awareness) is the ability to take in
relevant information about an event in order to
understand it and take effective action.
Maintaining effective SA as an emergency
medical dispatcher (EMD) may be more
difficult than in other, similarly complex roles
because of the remote nature of an
emergency call for help.
Sick Person (Specific Diagnosis) is one of the
most commonly used Chief Complaint Protocols
in the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS).
This protocol is often used when a caller does not
report any specific or high-priority symptoms. Of
particular concern is the 26-ALPHA-1 determinant
code, which refers to a person with “No priority
symptoms” and none of the specific symptoms
listed on the ALPHA-code drop-down list (Fig. 1).
Despite long-standing calls for consistent
training practices, very little is known about
the methods used in emergency dispatcher
training, their relative efficacy, or the topics or
competencies addressed.
Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause
of death worldwide, with ischemic heart disease (IHD)
causing nearly nine million deaths per year. Coronary heart
disease (CHD) is estimated to cause about one-third of
all deaths in people over 35 years old, and the incidence
of CHD is expected to continue to rise. Acute myocardial
infarctions (AMIs)—heart attacks—represent a significant
portion of this overall CHD mortality, with approximately
620,000 Americans suffering a first heart attack, and
295,000 suffering a repeat event, each year.
