Can a Software-Based Metronome Tool Enhance Compression Rate in a Realistic 911 Call Scenario Without Adversely Impacting Compression Depth for Dispatcher-Assisted CPR?

Unlabelled: IntroductionImplementation of high-quality, dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) is critical to improving survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, despite some studies demonstrating the use of a metronome in a stand-alone setting, no research has yet demonstrated the effectiveness of a metronome tool in improving DA-CPR in the context of a realistic 911 call or using instructions that have been tested in real-world emergency calls.HypothesisUse of the metronome tool will increase the proportion of callers able to perform CPR within the target rate without affecting depth.

Hospital-Confirmed Acute Myocardial Infarction: Prehospital Identification Using the Medical Priority Dispatch System.

Unlabelled: Introduction Early recognition of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can increase the patient's likelihood of survival. As the first point of contact for patients accessing medical care through emergency services, emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) represent the earliest potential identification point for AMIs. The objective of the study was to determine how AMI cases were coded and prioritized at the dispatch point, and also to describe the distribution of these cases by patient age and gender.

9-1-1 Triage of Non-Traumatic Chest Pain: Association with Hospital Diagnosis.

Objective: Chest pain is one of the most common reasons people seek emergency care-and one of the most critical. In the United States, chest pain is the second most common reason for emergency department (ED) visits. A patient's primary complaint of "chest pain" may reflect a broad range of underlying causes; therefore, it is important that emergency medical service (EMS) agencies gain a thorough understanding of these cases, beginning with the initial management of chest pain in the 9-1-1 center.

Are two or four hands needed for elderly female bystanders to achieve the required chest compression depth during dispatcher-assisted CPR: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Rescuers are often unable to achieve the recommended 5-6 cm CC depth. The physical limitations of elderly bystanders may affect the quality of CC; thus, we investigated new strategies to improve CC performance.

Methods: We performed a randomized controlled trial in December 2013.

Outcome accuracy of the Emergency Medical Dispatcher's initial selection of a diabetic problems protocol.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus, although a chronic disease, also can cause acute, sudden symptoms requiring emergency intervention. In these cases, Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) must identify true diabetic complaints in order to determine the correct care. In 911 systems utilizing the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), International Academies of Emergency Dispatch-certified EMDs determine a patient's chief complaint by matching the caller's response to an initial pre-scripted question to one of 37 possible chief complaints protocols.

Aspirin administration by emergency medical dispatchers using a protocol-driven aspirin diagnostic and instruction tool.

Background: The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend early aspirin administration to patients with symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS)/acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The primary objective of this study was to determine if Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) can provide chest pain/heart attack patients with standardised instructions effectively, using an aspirin diagnostic and instruction tool (ADxT) within the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) before arrival of an emergency response crew.

Methods: This retrospective study involved three dispatch centres in the UK and USA.

Medical Priority Dispatch System breathing problems protocol key question combinations are associated with patient acuity.

Introduction: The Breathing Problems Chief Complaint (CC) protocol in the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) was the system's most frequently used protocol. While "severe breathing problems" is a significant predictor of cardiac arrest (CA), previous data have demonstrated that the DELTA-level determinant codes in this CC contain patients across a wide spectrum of acuity.

Hypothesis: The hypothesis in this study was that certain combinations of caller answers to the breathing problems protocol key questions (KQs) are correlated with different but specific patient acuities.