Academic Journal
Live video versus audio-only emergency calls in simulated emergency medical dispatch: a randomized mixed-methods study.
| Τίτλος: | Live video versus audio-only emergency calls in simulated emergency medical dispatch: a randomized mixed-methods study. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Krammel M; Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Radetzkystrasse 1, Vienna, 1030, Austria.; PULS - Austrian Cardiac Arrest Awareness Association, Lichtenthaler Gasse 4/1/R03, Vienna, 1090, Austria.; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems, 3500, Austria., Degischer B; Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Clinical Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria., Kahlfuss F; Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Clinical Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria., Lintschinger JM; Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Clinical Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria.; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Digital Health and Patient Safety, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria., Reischmann L; Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Clinical Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria.; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Digital Health and Patient Safety, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria., Hriberšek M; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Digital Health and Patient Safety, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria., Gleiss A; Centre for Medical Data Science, Institute of Clinical Biometrics, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria., Grassmann D; Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Radetzkystrasse 1, Vienna, 1030, Austria., Hamp T; Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Radetzkystrasse 1, Vienna, 1030, Austria., Lagara A; Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Radetzkystrasse 1, Vienna, 1030, Austria., Glaninger P; Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Radetzkystrasse 1, Vienna, 1030, Austria., Schnaubelt S; Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Radetzkystrasse 1, Vienna, 1030, Austria.; PULS - Austrian Cardiac Arrest Awareness Association, Lichtenthaler Gasse 4/1/R03, Vienna, 1090, Austria.; Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria.; Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems, 3500, Austria., Hafner C; Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Clinical Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria. christina.hafner@meduniwien.ac.at.; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Digital Health and Patient Safety, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, 1090, Austria. christina.hafner@meduniwien.ac.at. |
| Πηγή: | BMC emergency medicine [BMC Emerg Med] 2026 Apr 02; Vol. 26 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 02. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Comparative Study |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968543 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-227X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1471227X NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Emerg Med Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Emergency Medical Dispatch*/methods , Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems* , Video Recording*, Humans ; Time Factors ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Adult ; Emergency Medical Dispatcher |
| Περίληψη: | BACKGROUND: Dispatchers in emergency medical coordination centers face the challenge that bystanders can usually only provide verbal information during medical emergency calls. However, accurate information is crucial for dispatching appropriate resources. With the rise of smartphone use, video calls offer new possibilities. However, little is known about the broader impact of video calls on call duration, accuracy, and usability during emergency calls. METHODS: Twenty dispatchers and 80 laypersons participated in a randomized simulation study. Each dispatcher managed four standardized emergency scenarios, two via audio-only and two via video call, using a web-based platform (FlagMii® EML). Outcomes investigated total call duration, accuracy of the dispatch decision compared to the simulated scenario, and occurrence of technical issues. A linear mixed model was used to analyze the primary outcome. Furthermore, a focus group was held with dispatchers (n = 9) and qualitative data analysis was performed. RESULTS: The median duration of emergency calls was significantly longer in the video group (307 s, IQR 249–369) compared to the audio group (222 s, IQR 175–288), corresponding to a 40% increase (p < 0.001). The accuracy of the dispatch codes with the simulated emergency was higher in the video group (41.1% vs. 25.0%), though this difference did not reach statistical significance (OR 2.71, p = 0.085). The focus group identified six topics of interest: medical, technical, legal/ethical, psychological, institutional, and human/environmental aspects. While video was considered valuable for verifying first aid and assessing urgency, concerns were raised about technical reliability, dispatcher workload, emotional burden, and cultural acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time video emergency calls can support medical dispatchers and may improve assessment accuracy, but at the cost of longer call duration. Implementation should be guided by careful consideration of various factors including technical, ethical, and psychological factors. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of video calls on real-world emergency call performance and patient outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06598592) on September, 11 2024. |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Vienna (Number: 1332/2024). Informed consent was obtained. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Authors’ information: Benedikt Degischer worked as a diploma student in the context of his thesis on this study. Preliminary data were presented as a poster at the Congress of the European Society of Emergency Medicine (EUSEM 2025) and at the Congress of the Austrian Society for Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (AIC 2025) in Vienna, Austria. |
| References: | Eur Heart J. 2016 May 07;37(18):1428-38. (PMID: 26873093) Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2024 Jan 26;32(1):7. (PMID: 38383402) BMJ Open. 2023 Oct 29;13(10):e077395. (PMID: 37899141) Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2019 May 8;27(1):55. (PMID: 31068199) BMC Emerg Med. 2021 Sep 6;21(1):101. (PMID: 34488626) BMC Emerg Med. 2024 Jun 11;24(1):99. (PMID: 38862922) Prehosp Disaster Med. 2022 Dec;37(6):819-826. (PMID: 36138554) JAMA. 2019 Mar 26;321(12):1200-1210. (PMID: 30912843) Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Mar;41:257-258. (PMID: 32601007) Circulation. 2016 Dec 20;134(25):2095-2104. (PMID: 27881566) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Dispatching; Emergency medical service; Emergency medicine; First aid; Laypeople; Live stream; Prehospital emergency care; Telehealth; Telemedicine; Video emergency call |
| Molecular Sequence: | ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06598592 |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260403 Date Completed: 20260628 Latest Revision: 20260821 |
| Update Code: | 20260822 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13169599 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12873-026-01557-0 |
| PMID: | 41928098 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1471-227X |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12873-026-01557-0 |