Emergency physician's dispatch by a paramedic-staffed emergency medical communication centre: sensitivity, specificity and search for a reference standard.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Some emergency medical systems (EMS) use a dispatch centre where nurses or paramedics assess emergency calls and dispatch ambulances. Paramedics may also provide the first tier of care "in the field", with the second tier being an Emergency Physician (EP). In these systems, the appropriateness of the decision to dispatch an EP to the first line at the same time as the ambulance has not often been measured. The main objective of this study was to compare dispatching an EP as part of the first line emergency service with the severity of the patient's condition. The secondary objective was to highlight the need for a recognized reference standard to compare performance analyses across EMS.

Methods

This prospective observational study included all emergency calls rece

SUBMITTER: Chappuis VN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7871575 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature