The Annals of Emergency Dispatch and Response EDR journal is now on its feet and moving forward! Tons of thanks to the exemplary editorial leadership, peer-reviewers, and researchers for their tremendous input in establishing the journal. As we all (now) appreciate, establishing a peer-reviewed scientific journal of this nature and magnitude is no trivial task—I salute you all!
In the March-April 2013 (first) issue of the AEDR, we treated readers to various enlightening perspectives and concept articles from renowned experts in their respective areas of knowledge. This was good fodder for an inaugural issue. In this second issue, the AEDR now starts to focus more on original peer-reviewed scientific research papers, in addition to articles in other categories such as case reports, editorials, perspectives, concepts, and/or reviews. We are excited and encouraged by the high level of enthusiasm that dispatch/EMS researchers continue to show in research. We, as the editorial leadership of AEDR, believe this is the way to go to move dispatch science, public health and public safety to greater heights.
In this issue of the journal, we present some intriguing original research articles. Up to now, dispatch research has primarily concentrated on just a few topics, most of which are in the medical dispatch discipline. Such topics include (but are not limited to) cardiac arrest, stroke, breathing problems, and diabetes. The surest way to meaningfully reveal these issues is through a systematic literature review of published dispatch research articles. We are excited to present in this issue a carefully and thoroughly conducted systematic literature review article. We believe this article will help researchers, both experienced and new, effectively channel their efforts to some of the neglected research areas. The article covers research topics in all dispatch disciplines—medical, fire police, and emergency telenursing.
We would like to encourage dispatch researchers to publish more of such systematic literature review research studies. In fact, it would be quite beneficial if future systematic literature reviews were now done based on specific areas highlighted in this review article to determine the deeper extent of dispatch research. One such area of interest is the application of spatial data in dispatch research—how many and what types of such research articles exits? Have they been published in peer-reviewed journals? How beneficial is spatial data in dispatch research and are there some efforts to translate findings from such studies into dispatch/EMS practice? There are many questions that such a systematic review could address.
Another very important area that has been lacking in dispatch research is telemedicine. Healthcare systems around the world have demonstrated the enormous benefits brought about by the use of telemedicine. The question is: to what extent has telemedicine impacted dispatch? We are delighted to publish, in this AEDR’s issue, an original article on telenursing. This article highlights very pertinent issues in telenursing which have a direct bearing on dispatch service, science, and research. It is our hope that such an article is a wake-up call to the dispatch community to tap more into the use of telemedicine technology in dispatch to continue to enhance services in public health and public safety. More research in this vital topic would be extremely useful.
Also in this issue are articles on some disciplines that have seen a dearth of original research articles. For example, there are very enlightening articles on police dispatch. One highlights the descriptive distribution of police call types, something that has been lacking for many years. This article forms a perfect foundation for the design, conduct, and publication of more definitive police research studies. We have also presented a perspectives article on police dispatch. It is our hope that these two articles will stimulate wide thoughts for more research.
It is our pleasure and profound honor to have excellent editors and peer-reviewers in AEDR. Their continued support in ensuring that only top-notch quality articles make it to the production stage is highly appreciated. Do not forget; this is your journal! The AEDR is an all-inclusive dispatch journal; it publishes articles on all dispatch/EMS-related topics by dispatch/EMS researchers from every corner of the world. The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch is only a servant custodian. We invite you to help promote the journal, and to publish in it.
Christopher H.O. Olola, PhD
Editor-in-chief.