One of the most rewarding parts of being involved with the world's first-ever peer-reviewed journal of emergency dispatch is that we get to work with a lot of new researchers. Working with those who are just entering the field helps us remember how important—and how exciting—research is. When we do research, we get to be on the very forefront of knowledge. We're no longer only learning at second hand, but actually creating new knowledge ourselves, and that's something we love to share. Science has always been an effort of generations, with every new researcher building on and expanding what...
The manner in which calls are handled at the emergency telecommunication center has a significant role in effective management of assistance on the scene. The main information needed to start a response is the location of the incident, which usually means the complete address. The Genova 118 Center has recently modified its standard greeting from "Genova 118" (STD1) to "Genova 118, where do I send the ambulance?" (STD2). To verify whether the new standard reduces the time needed to acquire a complete address during an emergency call...
The current study examines posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters in the context of indirect exposure and compares symptom expression between emergency dispatchers and veterans. Given that a dispatcher's job is inherently different from that of our military, it would be expected that their PTSD symptoms are different as well. Understanding differences in presenting PTSD symptoms in emergency dispatchers relative to a group of veterans for the purposes of providing insight into prevention and treatment. We hypothesized that emergency dispatchers...
The objectives of this study were to compare hospital-confirmed acute myocardial infarction (AMI) outcomes with emergency medical dispatch (EMD) low acuity cases and to identify any common characteristics of the AMIs assigned to those low-acuity codes. This was a retrospective study utilizing EMD, emergency medical services (EMS), and hospital discharge datasets, collected at two emergency communication centers in Salt Lake County, Utah. The study sample included all hospital-confirmed medical cases that arrived to the hospital via EMS. Primary outcome measures...
Historically, emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) do not normally have the opportunity to learn about the outcomes of the patients who they have impacted. More often than not, ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) cases are urgently transported and triaged within the hospital system, and dispatchers are not afforded the opportunity to learn "the rest of the story" about the patient's outcomes. This leaves the EMDs wondering about the patient, not only from a survival standpoint, but also as to whether or not their pre-arrival instructions (PAIs) made an impact on the patient's condition...
For years, rising EMS call volumes have taxed resources in EMS jurisdictions. A significant problem of utilization by frequent 911 callers has contributed to transports and ED utilization, some of which may be unnecessary. Solutions to this have been limited for field providers. Purpose: We wished to both pilot a new EMS partnership with our county's Health and Human Services Agency (HHS) that could intervene with services for these "super-users," and study the scope of the problem, with the goal being appropriate alternate dispositions besides EMS activation. Intervention through referrals...
Northwell Health Center for Emergency Medical Services (CEMS) strives to provide the best prehospital care in the Northeast Region. CEMS Communications, an Accredited Center of Excellence with the IAED, continually monitors the effect of its MPDS system as it applies to our EMS response through Clinical and Communication Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement. The objective of this study was to evaluate MPDS cases handled on Protocol 26 Sick Person (Specific Diagnosis) and compare these with our paramedics' Provider Impressions. The evaluation of this data will look to validate the use of...
Today's wireless 911 location technology is not always precise. As people move away from using landline phones, more and more calls to 911 are being placed from mobile phones, even indoors. In fact, over 70% of 911 calls today are made from mobile phones according, to the FCC. As such, the need exists to improve location accuracy for mobile 911 calls in order to provide fast and reliable 911 response. The objective of this study was to evaluate a potential improvement in wireless 911 location technology by performing a pilot test comparing an existing wireless Phase 2 system to a device-based...
What led you to the study of clinical psychology? I've always loved the study of medicine and knew early on that I wanted to pursue a degree in clinical psychology. My research grew from the culmination of these interests. They have led me to research focused on the prevention and treatment of stress-related mental health injury. Why research intoemergency communications? To date, few studies have examined rates of stress-related pathology and subsequent impairment in emergency dispatchers. Our research so far has identified Emergency Dispatchers as an at-risk population for stress-induced...