If you’re reading this, you probably already believe in the importance of data and evidence in decision making. You are probably already interested in learning more about how dispatch operates “behind the scenes”—how dispatching standards originate and evolve. You may also be hoping to be able to apply data, research, and standards to your own dispatch operations. In all of these respects, emergency dispatching has come a long way in the past 35 years.
At first glance, the pieces in this issue of AEDR may not seem to have much in common. A statistician’s notes on the challenges of Big Data? A discussion of vehicles trapped in rising floodwaters? A review of the words and phrases that most often signal stroke? What could all of these things possibly have to do with one another? In terms of topic, not much; but in the bigger picture, these pieces have something much more important in common. They signal a sea change in dispatch research, a shift from a narrow focus on one or two critical incident types (mostly medical, mostly cardiac arrest-related) to
If one thing has defined emergency dispatching over the past 40 years, it has been the desire to always be doing it better: better interrogations of callers, better Pre-Arrival Instructions, better customer service—the list goes on and on. To drive constant improvement in dispatch is also the purpose of the Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. We aim to provide emergency dispatch professionals, whether line calltakers, quality assurance specialists, or communication center managers, with the best and most up-to-date information available about the critical work they do.
Evidence-based medicine (sometimes called scientific medicine) has existed in some form since at least the 16th century, when Andreus Vesalius, the "father of human anatomy," published diagrams of the human body actually based on anatomical investigation. William Harvey's publication of the first accurate description of the cardiovascular system, the 1665 discovery of the cell by Robert Hooke, and the 19th-century revelation of the neuron as the basic unit of the brain were also critical milestones. In the 1960s, the push toward evidence-based medicine became stronger, and basic science research began..
Two of the most prominent trends in healthcare right now—paradoxically— are diversification and mergers. Many larger healthcare entities are swallowing smaller ones, creating central hubs that offer huge varieties of services and smaller, outlying branded clinics that feed into the hubs. What this means for patient care remains to be seen. What it means for diversification within each organization, though, is already becoming apparent. Larger, merged entities can offer more varied continuums of care, including for example emergency services that lead directly into on-site rehabilitation and affiliated h
Welcome to the fourth issue of the Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response. We have reached our second birthday going strong: this issue contains the most overall papers, the broadest scope of topics, the most diverse group of authors, and the most peer-reviewed research of any issue so far. Perhaps even more importantly, putting out our fourth issue makes us eligible for listing in online research databases. We’ll be more visible, more accessible, and more citable than ever.
The overall objective of the study was
to determine whether layperson callers
can effectively stop simulated bleeding
using an improvised or a commercial
tourniquet, when provided with scripted
instructions via phone from a trained
protocol-aided EMD.
Studies 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 factors contributing to dispatch
stress and build better psychological
health among this group.
The objectives of this study were to
describe the barriers to achieving. ACE
and to identify characteristics that
indicate success with respect to achieving
and maintaining ACE status.
Anecdotally, numerous MPDS® (Priority Dispatch Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)-user agencies in the USA, Canada, UK, and Brazil have reported that the emergency caller has difficulty understanding the key question (KQ) “Is s/he completely alert?”
