TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical dispatchers’ experience with live video during emergency calls
T2 - a national questionnaire study
AU - Bohnstedt-Pedersen, Natascha H.
AU - Linderoth, Gitte
AU - Helios, Barbara
AU - Christensen, Helle C.
AU - Thomsen, Britta K.
AU - Bekker, Lisbeth
AU - Gram, Jannie K.B.
AU - Vaeggemose, Ulla
AU - Gehrt, Tine B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: Telehealth has become increasingly essential in healthcare provision, also in the Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS), where live video is implemented as a supplemental tool to assess and triage medical emergency calls. So far, using video for emergency calls seems beneficial for patient assessment and dispatcher-assisted first aid. However, the EMS dispatchers’ experiences with and perceptions of using video during emergency calls are largely unexplored. Methods: In 2023, a nationwide survey study was conducted in Denmark, which is covered by five Emergency Medical Dispatch Centers. All Danish EMS dispatchers were invited to participate in the study. The survey explored the dispatchers’ experience with using video during emergency calls, the perception of their own video use, and the process of implementing video as a new tool in their working procedure. Main questions were answered on a scale from 1 to 7, where higher scores indicate more agreement. Results: Of the 183 EMS dispatchers employed during the study period, 78% completed the survey. They found video easy to use (median = 7) and found video supportive in guidance and dispatch when the patient’s problem was unclear (median = 7), but did not find video suitable for all emergency calls and expressed that complications with the technology was a barrier for using video. The EMS dispatchers were least likely to agree that they choose not to use video due to the risk of being emotionally affected by what they might see (median = 1). When dividing the sample based on EMS dispatcher’s gender, age, seniority, and educational background, generally few differences between groups were found. Conclusions: Live video during emergency calls is generally experienced as a useful supplemental tool by EMS dispatchers in Denmark, and the greatest self-perceived barriers for using video were not finding video suitable for all situations and the technology.
AB - Background: Telehealth has become increasingly essential in healthcare provision, also in the Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS), where live video is implemented as a supplemental tool to assess and triage medical emergency calls. So far, using video for emergency calls seems beneficial for patient assessment and dispatcher-assisted first aid. However, the EMS dispatchers’ experiences with and perceptions of using video during emergency calls are largely unexplored. Methods: In 2023, a nationwide survey study was conducted in Denmark, which is covered by five Emergency Medical Dispatch Centers. All Danish EMS dispatchers were invited to participate in the study. The survey explored the dispatchers’ experience with using video during emergency calls, the perception of their own video use, and the process of implementing video as a new tool in their working procedure. Main questions were answered on a scale from 1 to 7, where higher scores indicate more agreement. Results: Of the 183 EMS dispatchers employed during the study period, 78% completed the survey. They found video easy to use (median = 7) and found video supportive in guidance and dispatch when the patient’s problem was unclear (median = 7), but did not find video suitable for all emergency calls and expressed that complications with the technology was a barrier for using video. The EMS dispatchers were least likely to agree that they choose not to use video due to the risk of being emotionally affected by what they might see (median = 1). When dividing the sample based on EMS dispatcher’s gender, age, seniority, and educational background, generally few differences between groups were found. Conclusions: Live video during emergency calls is generally experienced as a useful supplemental tool by EMS dispatchers in Denmark, and the greatest self-perceived barriers for using video were not finding video suitable for all situations and the technology.
KW - Emergency Medical Dispatch
KW - Emergency Medical Service
KW - EMS dispatcher
KW - Telehealth
KW - Telemedicine
KW - Telephone triage
KW - Video
U2 - 10.1186/s12913-024-11939-4
DO - 10.1186/s12913-024-11939-4
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 39567935
AN - SCOPUS:85209785124
VL - 24
JO - BMC Health Services Research
JF - BMC Health Services Research
SN - 1472-6963
IS - 1
M1 - 1442
ER -