When do medical operators choose to use, or not use, video in emergency calls? A case study
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3131169Utgivelsesdato
2024Metadata
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Originalversjon
10.1136/bmjoq-2024-002751Sammendrag
Background An evaluation report for a pilot project on
the use of video in medical emergency calls between the
caller and medical operator indicates that video is only
used in 4% of phone calls to the emergency medical
communication centre (EMCC). Furthermore, the report
found that in half of these cases, the use of video did not
alter the assessment made by the medical operator at the
EMCC.
We aimed to describe the reasons for when and why
medical operators choose to use or not use video in
emergency calls.
Method The study was conducted in a Norwegian EMCC,
employing a thematic analysis of notes from medical
operators responding to emergency calls regarding the use
of video.
Result Informants reported 19 cases where video was
used and 46 cases where it was not used. When video
was used, three main themes appeared: ‘unclear situation
or patient condition’, ‘visible problem’ and ‘children’.
When video was not used the following themes emerged:
‘cannot be executed/technical problems’, ‘does not follow
instructions’, ‘perceived as unnecessary’. Video was
mostly used in cases where the medical operators were
uncertain about the situation or the patients’ conditions.
Conclusion The results indicate that medical operators
were selective in choosing when to use video. In cases
where operators employed video, it provided a better
understanding of the situation, potentially enhancing the
basis for decision-making.