WHY RESEARCH?
Why Research Matters in Emergency Dispatch & Response. Research can sometimes seem complicated, but actually it is about one simple need: the need to answer questions. Every day, in the work we do, questions come up about how to serve our communities best. How can dispatchers better identify which events are truly time-critical? How can we best allocate our responders and other resources? How can we ensure that the working environment we offer dispatchers is as healthy as possible? How can we train and retain great people in this profession? How can we revise our protocols to get just the right information and provide the best, clearest instructions? The list of questions goes on and on, growing with every new call, every new technology, every new change in the law. The purpose of research is to answer those questions, not with what we think or hope might be true, but with facts and evidence. Research has a lot of benefits. It gives us greater confidence in our decisions and pushes us to try new approaches. But the best thing about research is that anyone can do it—all you need is a question and a desire to learn!
WHAT YOU CAN DO
LEARN
Take your time browsing our site, checking out the research that’s already been done. Research has truly found a place in emergency dispatching in the past ten years or so, and a lot of exciting questions have been asked and answered. Plus, take a look at the FAQs below for additional information about how research works. Haven’t got much time? Go to the Posters page for short, visual takes on important topics.
SHARE
If you found one of our articles, posters, or videos interesting or useful, like or share it on Facebook or Twitter—or send it out via email to your colleagues. Or, how about printing out one of our research posters and hanging it up in your break room? That way, everyone in your center can benefit!
PARTICIPATE
Ready to get more involved? We would love to help you find your feet as a new researcher. Remember, research is for everyone, not just people with letters after their names. You can sign up for our annual Research Workshop at Navigator, which gives you everything you ever needed to know about research, including a start on your very own project, in just two days. If that’s too long to wait, contact us at AEDRjournal@emergencydispatch.org, and we’ll get you started on your own project in no time.
WRITE A CASE REPORT
Case reports describe and interpret emergency calls. Generally, case reports educate readers about how to better manage some of the more difficult or unusual situations that arise during dispatching. This detailed guide will walk you through how to write a case report step-by-step.
Case Report GuideFor Case Report submissions, go to the Submit page.
PLAN AND DESIGN A STUDY
Conducting a study requires careful analysis, planning, and design. If you have interest in contributing to dispatch research, consider starting here. This thorough guide will lead you through a series of action steps to create a robust, clear plan for a potential study.
Study Planning & DesignFor IRB Proposal submissions, go to the Submit page.
CREATE A POSTER
You don’t have to publish in a journal to share your findings. You can also create a poster, which is an accessible visual presentation of all the work you’ve done.
Get Started