Isabel talks with Dr. Conrad Fivaz, the clinical director of Priority Solutions, and Gigi Marshall Knight, Emergency Communication Nurse System (ECNS) program administrator. They discuss the goals of secondary triage, the importance of studying low acuity calls, and how ECNS affects emergency dispatchers...
While Structure Fire is not the most common Chief Complaint handled by Emergency Fire Dispatchers (EFDs), the high death toll and other serious consequences that result make structure fires one of the most important types of calls EFDs handle. The time needed to appropriately and effectively prioritize these calls can be evaluated using a time standard called Call Prioritization Time (CPT). In this study, we evaluate CPT for centers using the Fire Priority Dispatch System (FPDS). The primary objective in this study was to determine CPT for the FPDS...
Telephone nurse triage at the 9-1-1 dispatch point is relatively new in the United States despite its ability to significantly reduce expensive and scarce Emergency Medical Services (EMS) resource use and emergency department visits. A previous study investigated the distribution of 9-1-1-triaged call incident types within the Emergency Communications Nurse System (ECNS) and found that 9-1-1 triage systems yielded a variety of low acuity complaints that were handled by the Emergency Communications Nurse (ECN). This study explored the current and potential utilization...
Seizures are episodes of sudden, severe, disorganized neurological activity in the brain, characterized by uncontrolled movement and, in many cases, altered consciousness. Seizures account for 1% of all emergency department visits, and are a leading cause of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) activation and transport. Patients who experience a seizure with no medical history of seizure disorder challenge the prehospital provider to identify an underlying cause for the event and attempt to treat immediately. s:This study aimed to identify the clinical profile of...
Recent estimates indicate that more than half of all Emergency Department (ED) visits could be avoided, reducing patient costs and increasing satisfaction with care. Since 911 is increasingly the first point of contact for many patients entering the health care system—even those with non-emergency conditions—one potential approach to decreasing emergency costs and ED overcrowding is to reinvent the 911 dispatch center as a clearinghouse for directing patients to alternative care providers. This study presents a cost avoidance analysis of two 911 dispatch centers that...
This study represents a first attempt to classify a subset of time-to-dispatch in a 911 center – the call prioritization time. This time is defined as the time required to gather critical case information, after the address is obtained, and prior to notifying responder units of the call. This study characterizes call prioritization time in nine different 911 centers, all using the Fire Priority Dispatch System (FPDS). Times were examined by individual agency, overall. This was a retrospective, non-controlled, descriptive study involving nine 911 and by FPDS...
Emergency medical services require the accuracy of priority dispatching to optimize the match between patients' medical needs, prehospital resources, and maintaining patient safety. When ambulances are traveling with Lights/Sirens rather than with other vehicles' flow and speed on the road, they place themselves and the public at a higher risk. From 1992-2011, 58% of all injuries and fatalities in ambulances occurred when the ambulance was traveling with Lights/Sirens. EMS physician(s) are responsible for all aspects of the EMS system, including EMD protocols. This research aims to evaluate the sensitiv
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...
There is now substantial research literature on the occupational stress among emergency dispatchers from multiple studies that 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...