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

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medical Services
• Dispatch Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Dispatch services (DS's) are vital components of emergency medical service (EMS) systems.
• The role of dispatchers has expanded to include critical interventions like dispatcher assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
• Research on dispatch science in Asia is limited, highlighting a need for regional studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the characteristics of dispatch services (DS's) within the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes (PAROS) network.
• To assess the current state of dispatcher assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) implementation across these Asian DS's.
• To identify variations in DS structures, protocols, and DACPR programs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among dispatch centers in the PAROS network.
• The survey collected data on population characteristics, DS structures, service levels, and DACPR implementation (protocols, quality improvement).
• Data from 9 DS's representing 23 dispatch centers across 9 countries were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Most surveyed DS's utilize tiered dispatch, have medical oversight, and employ dispatchers with medical backgrounds.
• DACPR has been introduced in 77.8% of responding DS's, with 71.4% offering multilingual instructions.
• Significant variations were observed in OHCA recognition sensitivity (32.6%–79.2%) and median time to first compression (120s–220s).

Conclusions:

• Notable variations exist in dispatch service characteristics and DACPR implementation across the PAROS network.
• These findings establish a baseline for future research into dispatch services and DACPR in Asia.
• Further studies are warranted to address the observed disparities and enhance patient care outcomes.