Mobilisation of emergency services for chemical incidents in Sweden - a multi-agency focus group study.

BACKGROUND: In chemical incidents, infrequent but potentially disastrous, the World Health Organization calls for inter-organizational coordination of actors involved. Multi-organizational studies of chemical response capacities are scarce. We aimed to describe chemical incident experiences and perceptions of Swedish fire and rescue services, emergency medical services, police services, and emergency dispatch services personnel. METHODS: Eight emergency service organizations in two distinct and dissimilar regions in Sweden participated in one organization-specific focus group interview each. The total number of respondents was 25 (7 females and 18 males). A qualitative inductive content analysis was performed. RESULTS: Three types of information processing were derived as emerging during acute-phase chemical incident mobilization: Unspecified (a caller communicating with an emergency medical dispatcher), specified (each emergency service obtaining organization-specific expert information), and aligned (continually updated information from the scene condensed and disseminated back to all parties at the scene). Improvable shortcomings were identified, e.g. randomness (unspecified information processing), inter-organizational reticence (specified information processing), and downprioritizing central information transmission while saving lives (aligned information processing). CONCLUSIONS: The flow of information may be improved by automation, public education, revised dispatcher education, and use of technical resources in the field. Future studies should independently assess these mechanism's degree of impact on mobilisation of emergency services in chemical incidents.

Medical dispatchers' perception of the interaction with the caller during emergency calls - a qualitative study.

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.

Operational experience of the Dutch helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: jeopardy on the prehospital care system?

PURPOSE: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has disrupted global and local medical supply chains. To combat the spread of the virus and prevent an uncontrolled outbreak with limited resources, national lockdown protocols have taken effect in the Netherlands since March 13th, 2020. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence, type and characteristics of HEMS and HEMS-ambulance 'Lifeliner 1' dispatches during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period one year prior. METHODS: A retrospective review of all HEMS and HEMS-ambulance 'Lifeliner 1' dispatches was performed from the start of Dutch nationwide lockdown orders from March 13th until May 13th, 2020 and the corresponding period one year prior. Dispatch-, operational-, patient-, injury-, and on-site treatment characteristics were extracted for analysis. In addition, the rate of COVID-19 positively tested HEMS personnel and the time physicians were unable to take call was described. RESULTS: During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the HEMS and HEMS-ambulance was requested in 528 cases. One year prior, a total of 620 requests were received. The HEMS (helicopter and ambulance) was cancelled after deployment in 56.4% of the COVID-19 cohort and 50.7% of the historical cohort (P = 0.05). Incident location type did not differ between the two cohorts, specifically, there was no significant difference in the number of injuries that occurred at home in pandemic versus non-pandemic circumstances. Besides a decrease in the number of falls, the distribution of mechanisms of injury remained similar during the COVID-19 study period. There was no difference in self-inflicted injuries observed. Prehospital interventions remained similar during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to one year prior. Specifically, prehospital intubation did not differ between the two cohorts. The rate of COVID-19 positively tested HEMS personnel was 23.1%. Physicians who tested positive were unable to take call for a mean of 25 days (range 8-53). CONCLUSION: A decrease in the number of deployments and increase in the number of cancelled missions was observed during the COVID-19 study period. No major differences in operational- and injury characteristics were found for HEMS and HEMS-ambulance dispatches between the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands and the same period one year prior. These findings highlight the importance of continued operability of the HEMS, even during pandemic circumstances. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, retrospective comparative study.

When dispatcher assistance is not saving lives: assessment of process compliance, barriers and outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in a metropolitan city in China.

BACKGROUND: Several Chinese cities have implemented dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR), although out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival rates remain low. We aimed to assess the process compliance, barriers and outcomes of OHCA in one of the earliest implemented (DA-CPR) programmes in China. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed OHCA emergency dispatch records of Suzhou emergency medical service from 2014 to 2015 and included adult OHCA victims (>18 years) with a bystander-witnessed atraumatic OHCA that was subsequently confirmed by on-site emergency physician. The circumstances and DA-CPR process related to the OHCA event were analysed. Dispatch audio records were reviewed to identify potential barriers to implementation during the DA-CPR process. RESULTS: Of the 151 OHCA victims, none survived. The median time from patient collapse to call for emergency services and that from call to provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions was 30 (IQR 20-60) min and 115 (IQR 90-153) s, respectively. Only 110 (80.3%) bystanders/rescuers followed the dispatcher instructions; of these, 51 (46.3%) undertook persistent chest compressions. Major barriers to following the DA-CPR instructions were present in 104 (68.9%) cases, including caller disconnection of the call, distraught mood or refusal to carry out either compressions or ventilations. CONCLUSIONS: The OHCA survival rate and the DA-CPR process were far from optimal. The zero survival rate is disproportionally low compared with survival statistics in high-income countries. The prolonged delay in calling the emergency services negated and rendered futile any DA-CPR efforts. Thus, efforts targeted at developing public awareness of OHCA, calling for help and competency in DA-CPR should be increased.

Participant Engagement in and Perspectives on a Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention for 9-1-1 Telecommunicators: Multimethod Study.

BACKGROUND: Demanding working conditions and secondary exposure to trauma may contribute to a high burden of stress among 9-1-1 telecommunicators, decreasing their ability to work effectively and efficiently. Web-based mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can be effective in reducing stress in similar populations. However, low engagement may limit the effectiveness of the intervention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess participant engagement in a Web-based MBI designed for 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Specifically, we sought to describe the following: (1) participant characteristics associated with intervention engagement, (2) participant perspectives on engaging with the intervention, and (3) perceived challenges and facilitators to engaging. METHODS: We used qualitative and quantitative data from participant surveys (n=149) that were collected to assess the efficacy of the intervention. We conducted descriptive and bivariate analyses to identify associations between demographic, psychosocial, and workplace characteristics and engagement. We conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative survey responses to describe participant experiences with the MBI. RESULTS: We found that no individual participant characteristics were associated with the level of engagement (low vs high number of lessons completed). Participant engagement did vary by the call center (P<.001). We identified the following overarching qualitative themes: (1) the participants perceived benefits of mindfulness practice, (2) the participants perceived challenges to engage with mindfulness and the intervention, and (3) intervention components that facilitated engagement. The participants expressed positive beliefs in the perceived benefits of practicing mindfulness, including increased self-efficacy in coping with stressors and increased empathy with callers. The most commonly cited barriers were work-related, particularly not having time to participate in the intervention at work. Facilitators included shorter meditation practices and the availability of multiple formats and types of intervention content. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that efforts to improve intervention engagement should focus on organizational-level factors rather than individual participant characteristics. Future research should explore the effect of mindfulness practice on the efficiency and effectiveness of 9-1-1 telecommunicators at work. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02961621; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02961621.

The effect of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation on early defibrillation and return of spontaneous circulation with survival.

BACKGROUND: Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) programs are implemented to augment bystander CPR and improve outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). To understand the pathway of how DA-CPR improves outcomes of OHCA, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DA-CPR on defibrillation and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) with survival to hospital discharge within 90 min. METHODS: We conducted a population-based observational study of all adults with OHCA with presumed cardiac aetiology treated by emergency medical services (EMS) between 2013 and 2016, using a national OHCA registry. We excluded cases without a witness, those that occurred in hospital, were witnessed by an EMS provider, or defibrillated by a layperson. The exposure was bystander CPR status: no bystander CPR (No BCPR), bystander CPR without dispatcher assistance (NDA-BCPR), and bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance (DA-BCPR). The observation time was set to a maximum of 90 min for survival analysis. The primary outcome was ROSC within 90 min leading to being discharged alive (ROSC with survival). The secondary outcomes were ROSC within 90 min leading to being discharged with cerebral performance category I or II (ROSC with good CPC) and first defibrillation within 90 min (defibrillation). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs), according to bystander CPR status adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of 25,450 eligible OHCAs, NDA-BCPR was provided for 3193 cases (12.5%) and DA-BCPR was provided for 12,154 cases (47.8%). ROSC with survival was observed in 13.2% of cases with NDA-BCPR and 12.0% with DA-BCPR. Compared with No BCPR, both type of bystander CPR were associated with 44% and 55% increases in ROSC with survival to discharge (AHR, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.44, 1.27-1.63 for NDA-BCPR and 1.55, 1.41-1.69 for DA-BCPR). DA-BCPR was also associated with defibrillation compared with No-BCPR, accounting for ROSC as a competing risk (AHR 1.16, 95% CI 1.12-1.21). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with no bystander CPR provided, both bystander CPR with or without dispatcher assistance were associated with defibrillation and ROSC leading to survival to discharge in patients with witnessed OHCA.

Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Program and Outcomes After Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

OBJECTIVES: A dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-BCPR) is expected to influence the outcomes of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Our objective was to measure the effect size of a DA-BCPR on survival outcomes according to location of the event. METHODS: All emergency medical service treated OHCA patients younger than 19 years in Korea from January 2012 through December 2013 were analyzed. Patients with OHCA witnessed by emergency medical service providers and those with missing outcome information were excluded. Patients were categorized into the following categories: No-BCPR, BCPR without dispatcher assistance (BCPR-NDA), and BCPR-DA. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for outcomes by exposure group (reference, No-BCPR group) with and without an interaction term between exposure and location of arrest. RESULTS: A total of 1013 eligible patients were analyzed. Among these patients, 16.6% received BCPR-NDA, 23.2% received BCPR-DA, and 60.2% received no BCPR. After adjusting for potential confounders, compared with N0-BCPR group, AORs for survival were 1.79 (95% CI, 1.03-3.12) in BCPR group, 1.71 (95% CI, 0.85-3.46) in BCPR-NDA group, and 1.39 (95% CI, 0.72-2.69) in BCPR-DA group. The AORs for survival of BCPR-NDA and BCPR-DA in public location were 3.30 (95% CI, 1.12-9.72) and 2.95 (95% CI, 1.00-8.67), whereas BCPR-NDA and BCPR-DA in private locations were 1.62 (95% CI, 0.68-3.88) and 1.15 (95% CI, 0.53-2.51). CONCLUSION: The DA-CPR was associated with better outcomes in pediatric OHCA patients whose arrest occurred in public locations, but no improvement in outcomes was identified in patients whose arrest occurred at private locations.

Association between the centralization of dispatch centers and dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation programs: A natural experimental study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the associations between the centralization of dispatch centers and dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-BCPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. METHODS: All emergency medical services (EMS)-treated adults in Gyeonggi province (34 fire departments covering 43 counties, with a population of 12.6 million) with OHCAs of cardiac etiology were enrolled between 2013 and 2016, excluding cases witnessed by EMS providers. In Gyeonggi province, 34 agency-based dispatch centers were sequentially integrated into two province-based central dispatch centers (north and south) between November 2013 and May 2016. Exposure was the centralization of the dispatch centers. Endpoint variables were BCPR and dispatcher-provided CPR instructions. Generalized linear mixed models for multilevel regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Overall, 11,616 patients (5060 before centralization and 6556 after centralization) were included in the final analysis. The OHCAs that occurred during the after-centralization period were more likely to receive BCPR (62.6%, 50.6% BCPR-with-DA and 12.0% BCPR-without-DA) than were those that occurred before-centralization period (44.6%, 16.6% BCPR-with-DA and 28.1% BCPR-without-DA) (p < 0.01, adjusted OR: 1.59 (1.38-1.83), adjusted rate difference: 9.1% (5.0-13.2)). For dispatcher-provided CPR instructions, OHCAs diagnosed at a higher rate during the after-centralization period than during the before-centralization period (67.4% vs. 23.1%, p < 0.01, adjusted OR: 4.57 (3.26-6.42), adjusted rate difference: 30.3% (26.4-34.2)). The EMS response time was not different between the groups (p=0.26). CONCLUSIONS: The centralization of dispatch centers was associated with an improved bystander CPR rate and dispatcher-provided CPR instructions for OHCA patients.

Effects of dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation on neurological recovery in paediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest based on the pre-hospital emergency medical service response time interval.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effect of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) with dispatcher assistance (DA) on neurological outcomes based on the response time interval (RTI) of the pre-hospital emergency medical service (EMS) among paediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: This retrospective registry study was conducted on paediatric patients (<19 years old) with OHCA who were assessed by EMS providers between 2012 and 2016. The primary outcome was good neurological recovery based on BCPR with or without DA and the EMS RTI. Differential effects of BCPR with DA based on the EMS RTI were analysed by multivariable logistic regression analysis with interaction terms. RESULTS: Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for good neurological recovery were 2.22 (1.27-3.88) for BCPR with DA and 1.51 (0.77-2.97) for BCPR without DA compared to no BCPR. The faster EMS RTI group (<5 min) had better neurological recovery than the later EMS RTI group (≥5 min) (AOR: 1.87 [1.04-3.29]). The AORs for good neurological recovery following BCPR with DA based on the EMS RTI were 2.52 (0.91-6.97) in the faster EMS RTI group and 2.17 (1.13-4.19) in the later EMS RTI group compared to the no BCPR group. CONCLUSION: BCPR with DA and a faster EMS RTI were significantly associated with good neurological recovery in paediatric patients with OHCA. When the EMS RTI was delayed, the association of BCPR with DA with good neurological recovery was preserved in paediatric patients with OHCA.

Patterns of Signs That Telephone Crisis Support Workers Associate with Suicide Risk in Telephone Crisis Line Callers.

Signs of suicide are commonly used in suicide intervention training to assist the identification of those at imminent risk for suicide. Signs of suicide may be particularly important to telephone crisis-line workers (TCWs), who have little background information to identify the presence of suicidality if the caller is unable or unwilling to express suicidal intent. Although signs of suicide are argued to be only meaningful as a pattern, there is a paucity of research that has examined whether TCWs use patterns of signs to decide whether a caller might be suicidal, and whether these are influenced by caller characteristics such as gender. The current study explored both possibilities. Data were collected using an online self-report survey in a Australian sample of 137 TCWs. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered three patterns of suicide signs that TCWs may use to identify if a caller might be at risk for suicide (mood, hopelessness, and anger), which were qualitatively different for male and female callers. These findings suggest that TCWs may recognise specific patterns of signs to identify suicide risk, which appear to be influenced to some extent by the callers' inferred gender. Implications for the training of telephone crisis workers and others including mental-health and medical professionals, as well as and future research in suicide prevention are discussed.

Dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation in rural and urban areas and survival outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the impact of dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-BCPR) on survival outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) that occurred in rural and urban areas. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study using nationwide emergency medical services (EMS)-based OHCA registry in Korea. All EMS-treated adults with OHCAs and with presumed cardiac etiology were enrolled between 2012 and 2015, excluding cases witnessed by an EMS provider. BCPR was categorized into 3 groups: BCPR-with-DA, BCPR-without-DA, and No-BCPR. The endpoint was good neurologic recovery at discharge. We compared the effects of BCPR on outcomes between rural and urban areas, using a multivariable logistic regression with an interaction term. RESULTS: A total of 53,240 patients (36.3% BCPR-with-DA and 12.8% BCPR-without-DA) were included. Among OHCAs that occurred in rural areas (32.3% BCPR-with-DA and 14.0% BCPR-without-DA) and urban areas (36.9% BCPR-with-DA and 12.5% BCPR-without-DA), good neurological recovery was demonstrated in 1.6% and 6.8% of the patients in rural and urban areas, respectively (p < 0.01). The patients with OHCAs who received BCPR in both rural and urban areas were more likely to have good neurologic recovery than the No-BCPR group (AORs, 3.53 (1.84-6.77) BCPR-with-DA and 2.56 (1.23-5.32) BCPR-without-DA in rural; and 1.59 (1.41-1.79) BCPR-with-DA and 1.37 (1.18-1.60) BCPR-without-DA in urban). The effects of the measures of BCPR-with-DA on the outcome were more apparent in rural areas compared to urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: BCPR, regardless of DA, was associated with improved neurologic recovery after OHCA in rural and urban areas. However, the effect of BCPR-with-DA was prominent for OHCA that occurred in rural areas.

Does dispatcher-assisted CPR generate the same outcomes as spontaneously delivered bystander CPR in Japan?

AIM: We investigated whether DA-CPR would have the same effect as spontaneously-delivered bystander CPR. METHODS: A total of 37,899 witnessed cardiogenic out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) selected from a nationwide Utstein-Japanese database between 2008 and 2012. Patients were divided into four groups as follows: CPR initiated with dispatcher assistance (DA-CPR; n=10,424), no CPR provided with dispatcher assistance (DA-No CPR; n=4658), spontaneously-delivered bystander CPR provided without DA (BCPR; n=6630), and both BCPR and dispatcher assistance was not provided (No BCPR-No DA; n=16,187). The primary endpoint was rate of shockable rhythm on the initial ECG, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) on the field. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) are presented as 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) among the groups. RESULTS: The rate of DA-CPR implementation has gradually increased since 2005. In comparison with DA-No CPR, both spontaneously-delivered BCPR and DA-CPR were significantly associated with the following factors: increased rate of shockable rhythm on the initial ECG (AOR, 1.75 and 1.72; 95% CI, 1.67 to 1.85 and 1.63 to 1.83),improved field ROSC (AOR, 1.42 and 1.40; 95% CI, 1.33 to 1.52 and 1.30 to 1.51) and 1-month favorable neurological outcomes (AOR, 1.72 and 1.80; 95% CI, 1.59 to 1.88 and 1.64 to 1.97), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the spontaneously delivered BCPR group showed favorable results. In comparison to the DA-No BCPR group, DA-CPR group resulted in the nearly equivalent effect as spontaneously-delivered BCPR group. Further standard dispatcher education is indicated.

Going Beyond the 9-1-1 Call - What BC Emergency Health Services is Doing to Improve Timely Access to Emergency Care.

British Columbia Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) uses an internationally recognized Medical Priority Dispatch System to assign appropriate responses to 9-1-1 calls based on patients' clinical acuity. In 2015, 71% of Omega calls (classified as calls involving low acuity injuries) were assigned an ambulance. To better meet patients' needs, BCEHS collaborated with HealthLink BC's Nursing Services (HLBC NS) to audit over 2,000 calls. Based on the results, three Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles were implemented, yielding a 35% decrease in ambulances assigned and a 173% increase in referrals to HLBC NS to provide more suitable support. Ultimately, the interventions allowed these ambulances to be reallocated to more critical patients.

Simulation training to improve 9-1-1 dispatcher identification of cardiac arrest: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of simulation training, using actors to make mock calls, on improving Emergency Medical Dispatchers' (EMDs) ability to recognize the need for, and reduce the time to, telephone-assisted CPR (T-CPR) in simulated and real cardiac arrest 9-1-1 calls. METHODS: We conducted a parallel prospective randomized controlled trial with n=157 EMDs from thirteen 9-1-1 call centers. Study participants were randomized within each center to intervention (i.e., completing 4 simulation training sessions over 12-months) or control (status quo). After the intervention period, performance on 9 call processing skills and 2 time-intervals were measured in 2 simulation assessment calls for both arms. Six of the 13 call centers provided recordings of real cardiac arrest calls taken by study participants during the study period. RESULTS: Of the N=128 EMDs who completed the simulation assessment, intervention participants (n=66) performed significantly better on 6 of 9 call processing skills and started T-CPR 23s faster (73 vs 91s respectively, p<0.001) compared to participants in the control arm (n=62). In real cardiac arrest calls, EMDs who completed 3 or 4 training sessions were more likely to recognize the need for T-CPR for more challenging cardiac arrest calls than EMDs who completed fewer than 3, including controls who completed no training (68% vs 53%, p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Simulation training improves call processing skills and reduces time to T-CPR in simulated call scenarios, and may improve the recognition of the need for T-CPR in more challenging real-life cardiac arrest calls. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov Trial # NCT01972087.

Effect of Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Program and Location of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest on Survival and Neurologic Outcome.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We study the effect of a nationwide dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) program on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes by arrest location (public and private settings). METHODS: All emergency medical services (EMS)-treated adults in Korea with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of cardiac cause were enrolled between 2012 and 2013, excluding cases witnessed by EMS providers and those with unknown outcomes. Exposure was bystander CPR categorized into 3 groups: bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance, bystander CPR without dispatcher assistance, and no bystander CPR. The endpoint was good neurologic recovery at discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. The final model with an interaction term was evaluated to compare the effects across settings. RESULTS: A total of 37,924 patients (31.1% bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance, 14.3% bystander CPR without dispatcher assistance, and 54.6% no bystander CPR) were included in the final analysis. The total bystander CPR rate increased from 30.9% in quarter 1 (2012) to 55.7% in quarter 4 (2014). Bystander CPR with and without dispatcher assistance was more likely to result in higher survival with good neurologic recovery (4.8% and 5.2%, respectively) compared with no bystander CPR (2.1%). The adjusted odds ratios for good neurologic recovery were 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30 to 1.74) in bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance and 1.34 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.60) in bystander CPR without it compared with no bystander CPR. For arrests in private settings, the adjusted odds ratios were 1.58 (95% CI 1.30 to 1.92) in bystander CPR with dispatcher assistance and 1.28 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.67) in bystander CPR without it; in public settings, the adjusted odds ratios were 1.41 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.75) and 1.37 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.72), respectively. CONCLUSION: Bystander CPR regardless of dispatcher assistance was associated with improved neurologic recovery after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases in private settings, bystander CPR was associated with improved neurologic recovery only when dispatcher assistance was provided.

Proposition and operational characteristics of a new dispatch scale to specifically identify acute strokes.

OBJECTIVE: Prehospital recognition of an acute stroke improves the time from onset to thrombolysis and rates of reperfusion therapy. Studies conducted to evaluate paramedic and dispatcher performance in suspecting stroke are disappointing. This study addresses the specific issue of stroke recognition by dispatchers, taking into account delay in reporting the onset of symptoms (<5 h). METHODS: This is an observational analysis conducted over a 12-month period. Dispatchers used a modified Cincinnati Stroke Scale to specifically identify acute strokes in a criteria-based dispatch. Data were extracted from the State's dispatch and the State's stroke centre. All calls to the dispatch were included. Dispatcher's suspicion of acute stroke and the patient's final destination and diagnosis were collected. Simple descriptive statistics were used. Sensitivity and positive predictive value were calculated. RESULTS: The dispatch received 27 719 calls resulting in ambulance dispatches; 427 calls [1.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-1.7] were classified as suspicion of acute stroke by dispatchers, and 40 of them (9.4%; 95% CI 6.6-12.1) fulfilled the criteria for thrombolysis (sensitivity 67.8%; 95% CI 54.3-79.4%). Dispatchers missed 19 of 59 strokes (32.2%; 95% CI 20.3-44.1) that received thrombolysis; 16 cases were missed because of unspecific acute symptoms (unconsciousness, dyspnoea), and three more because of unspecific nonacute symptoms (vertigo, dizziness). CONCLUSION: The revised Cincinnati Stroke Scale for dispatch adds the notion of delay in the process of triage. It identifies 67.8% and misses 32.2% of the stroke patients treated by thrombolysis. Its performance is similar to previous results using the regular Cincinnati Stroke Scale, but allows for targeting acute strokes.

Factors impacting upon timely and adequate allocation of prehospital medical assistance and resources to cardiac arrest patients.

AIM: Explore, understand and address issues that impact upon timely and adequate allocation of prehospital medical assistance and resources to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. METHODS: Mixed-methods design obtaining data for one year in three emergency medical communication centres (EMCC); Oslo-Akershus (OA), Vestfold-Telemark (VT) and Østfold (Ø). Data collection included quantitative data from analysis of dispatch logs, ambulance records and audio files. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews and non-participant observations. RESULTS: OA-, VT- and Ø-EMCC responded to 1095 OHCAs and 579 of these calls were included for further analysis (333, 143 and 103, respectively). There were significant site differences in their recognition of OHCA (89, 94 and 78%, respectively, p<0.001), provision of CPR instructions (83, 83 and 61%, respectively, p<0.001), time from call answered to initial CPR instructions (1.4min (1.2, 1.6), 1.1min (0,9, 1.2) and 1.3 (1.2, 1.7) respectively, p=0.002). The most frequent reason for delayed or failed recognition of OHCA was misinterpretation of agonal breathing. Interviews and observations revealed individual differences in protocol use, interrogation strategy and assessment of breathing. Use of protocol was only part of decision making, dispatchers trusted their own clinical experience and intuition, and used assumptions about the patient and the situation as part of decision making. CONCLUSION: Agonal breathing continues to be the main barrier to recognition of cardiac arrest. Individual differences among dispatchers' strategies can directly impact on performance, mainly due to the wide definition of cardiac arrest and lack of uniform tools for assessment of breathing.

Emergency Medical Dispatchers Can Obtain Accurate Pediatric Weights from 9-1-1 Callers.

BACKGROUND: Prehospital pediatric drug dosing errors affect 56,000 U.S. children annually. An accurate weight is the first step in accurate dosing. To date, the accuracy of Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) obtained weights has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that EMD could obtain accurate pediatric weights. METHODS: We used a convenience sample of patients 12 years and younger that were transported by EMS to one children's hospital. EMD obtained patient weight (DW) from the 9-1-1 caller. Paramedics reported their estimate of the patient's weight on arrival to the hospital (PW). The DW and PW were compared to the hospital scale weight (HW) for accuracy. RESULTS: A total of 197 patients were included. Parent/guardians were the most frequent 9-1-1 callers (74%). The most frequent method utilized by paramedics to obtain patient weight was to ask a family member. For 0-2 year olds, the mean differences between HW and DW/PW were 0.239kg (SD 3.117)/ -0.374 (SD 2.528). For 3-7 year olds, the mean differences between HW and DW/PW were 0.041kg (SD 4.684)/1.007 (SD 2.466). For 8-11 year olds the mean difference between HW and DW/PW was 2.768 kg (SD 10.926)/ 1.919 (SD 6.909). CONCLUSION: EMD were able to obtain pediatric patient weights with relative accuracy for patients 0-7 year old. Using this EMD-obtained weight to carry out a drug dose calculation would be unlikely to result in a clinically significant dose error in the vast majority of cases. Communicating an EMD-obtained weight to EMS crews en route to a pediatric patient offers additional preparation time for drug calculations, which could improve accuracy.

Augmented survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims with the use of mobile phones for emergency communication under the DA-CPR protocol getting information from callers beside the victim.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impacts of emergency calls made using mobile phones on the quality of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) that were not witnessed by emergency medical service (EMS). METHODS: In this prospective study, we collected data for 2530 DA-CPR-attempted medical emergency cases (517 using mobile phones and 2013 using landline phones) and 2980 non-EMS-witnessed OHCAs (600 using mobile phones and 2380 using landline phones). Time factors and quality of DA-CPR, backgrounds of callers and outcomes of OHCAs were compared between mobile and landline phone groups. RESULTS: Emergency calls are much more frequently placed beside the arrest victim in mobile phone group (52.7% vs. 17.2%). The positive predictive value and acceptance rate of DA-CPR in mobile phone group (84.7% and 80.6%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in landline group (79.2% and 70.9%). The proportion of good-quality bystander CPR in mobile phone group was significantly higher than that in landline group (53.5% vs. 45.0%). When analysed for all non-EMS-witnessed OHCAs, rates of 1-month survival and 1-year neurologically favourable survival in mobile phone group (7.8% and 3.5%, respectively) were higher than those in landline phone group (4.6% and 1.9%; p<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis, including other backgrounds, revealed that mobile phone calls were associated with increased 1-month survival in the subgroup of OHCAs receiving bystander CPR (adjusted odds ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.15-2.92). CONCLUSION: Emergency calls made using mobile phones are likely to augment the survival from OHCAs by improving DA-CPR.