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. 2020 Jan 7;20(1):1.
doi: 10.1186/s12873-019-0299-1.

Emergency medical dispatch services across Pan-Asian countries: a web-based survey

Shawn Chieh Loong Lee  1   2 , Desmond Renhao Mao  3 , Yih Yng Ng  4 , Benjamin Sieu-Hon Leong  5 , Jirapong Supasaovapak  6 , Faith Joan Gaerlan  7 , Do Ngoc Son  8 , Boon Yang Chia  9 , Sang Do Shin  10 , Chih-Hao Lin  11 , G V Ramana Rao  12 , Takahiro Hara  13 , Marcus Eng Hock Ong  14   15 ; PAROS Clinical Research Network
Collaborators, Affiliations

Emergency medical dispatch services across Pan-Asian countries: a web-based survey

Shawn Chieh Loong Lee et al. BMC Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Background: Dispatch services (DS's) form an integral part of emergency medical service (EMS) systems. The role of a dispatcher has also evolved into a crucial link in patient care delivery, particularly in dispatcher assisted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Yet, there has been a paucity of research into the emerging area of dispatch science in Asia. This paper compares the characteristics of DS's, and state of implementation of DACPR within the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes (PAROS) network.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey addressing population characteristics, DS structures and levels of service, state of DACPR implementation (including protocols and quality improvement programs) among PAROS DS's.

Results: 9 DS's responded, representing a total of 23 dispatch centres from 9 countries that serve over 80 million people. Most PAROS DS's operate a tiered dispatch response, have implemented medical oversight, and tend to be staffed by dispatchers with a predominantly medical background. Almost all PAROS DS's have begun tracking key EMS indicators. 77.8% (n = 7) of PAROS DS's have introduced DACPR. Of the DS's that have rolled out DACPR, 71.4% (n = 5) provided instructions in over one language. All DS's that implemented DACPR and provided feedback to dispatchers offered feedback on missed OHCA recognition. The majority of DS's (83.3%; n = 5) that offered DACPR and provided feedback to dispatchers also implemented corrective feedback, while 66.7% (n = 4) offered positive feedback. Compression-only CPR was the standard instruction for PAROS DS's. OHCA recognition sensitivity varied widely in PAROS DS's, ranging from 32.6% (95% CI: 29.9-35.5%) to 79.2% (95% CI: 72.9-84.4%). Median time to first compression ranged from 120 s to 220 s.

Conclusions: We found notable variations in characteristics and state of DACPR implementation between PAROS DS's. These findings will lay the groundwork for future DS and DACPR studies in the PAROS network.

Keywords: Asia-pacific; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Emergency medical services; Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Public safety answering point.

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Conflict of interest statement

MEHO reports funding from the Zoll Medical Corporation for a study involving mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices; grants from the Laerdal Foundation, Laerdal Medical, and Ramsey Social Justice Foundation for funding of the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study; an advisory relationship with Global Healthcare SG, a commercial entity that manufactures cooling devices; and funding from Laerdal Medical on an observation program to their Community CPR Training Centre Research Program in Norway. The other co-authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Respondents’ Sites. The map was created using ArcGIS - ArcMap v10.0 (Esri, California, United States of America)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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