Dispatch of Emergency Call Using Video Streaming Compared With Traditional Telephone Communication

NCT05742412 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 3436
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20,539
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In the Emergency Medical Dispatch Center, all EMS dispatchers were divided into one of two clusters with 11 EMS dispatchers in each cluster. Because of few clusters, a matched-pair (MP) design was used based on the average proportion of the dispatched level of urgency (highest level of urgency used as primary matching criteria), years of employment and the average duration of emergency calls in a 3-months period (1st of January 2022 - 31st of March 2022) before the implementation of video streaming. Newly employed personnel where matching was not possible were randomly assigned to one of the two clusters. Prior to the study period, video streaming was gradually implemented in the intervention group during a 6-months period (1st of July 2022 - 31st of December 2022). Using a cluster randomized setup, the aim was to investigate differences in the management of emergency calls (dispatches) when emergency medical service (EMS) dispatchers use video streaming compared with telephone-only (audio-only) communication. All emergency calls will be randomly distributed between the two clusters.

Conditions

Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre; Video Streaming; Emergency Call; Prehospital Emergency Medical Services

Keywords

Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems; Audiovisual aid

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The frequency of dispatches with the highest level of urgency (A-responses)

  Defined by the dispatch code generated by the computer-aided dispatch software Logis and stored in the EMDC database

  Continuously stored during the study period (4 months). Data collection from study termination.

Secondary Outcomes (11)

• The frequency of dispatches with the levels of urgency A, B, C, D and E

  Continuously stored during the study period (4 months). Data collection from study termination.

• Mortality, 30-day

  Data collection 30 days after study termination (31st of May 2023)

• Number of participants where the levels of urgency are identical when comparing the ambulance to and from the scene

  Continuously stored during the study period (4 months). Data collection from study termination.

• Length of stay at hospital

  Data collection 90 days after study termination or until last patient discharged or dead

• The number of participants needing an ICU admission at hospital

  Continuously stored during the study period (4 months). Data collection from study termination.

Other Outcomes (10)

• Number of participants with return-of-spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest

  Continuously stored during the study period (4 months). Data collection from study termination.

• 90 days neurological outcome after cardiac arrest measured by the cerebral performance scale (CPC)

  Data collection 90 days after study termination (31st of July 2023)

• 90 days neurological outcome after cardiac arrest measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS)

  Data collection 90 days after study termination (31st of July 2023)

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention group: EMS dispatcher using video-based communication in emergency calls. In the intervention arm, the EMS Dispatchers are requested to use video in all emergency calls during the 4-month study period.

Device: Video streaming (smartphone camera)

Control Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Control group: EMS dispatcher using telephone-only (audio-only) communication in emergency calls. In the control arm, the EMS Dispatchers continue using standard telephone communication (usual care).

Device: Telephone (telephone microphone)

Interventions

Video streaming (smartphone camera) DEVICE

Adding video streaming as a technical adjunct to the otherwise audio-based-only communication during emergency medical dispatch

Intervention Group

Telephone (telephone microphone) DEVICE

Usual care: Audio-based-only communication using telephone during emergency medical dispatch

Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Emergency call to the EMS dispatcher in the EMDC
• EMS dispatcher employed in the total study period
• EMS dispatchers with a completed training period (6 weeks total) at the start of the study period

You may not qualify if:

• Emergency calls directed to an EMDC physician or technical logistical personnel not using the criteria-based dispatch tool
• non-emergency calls (health care provider requested prehospital transports)
• EMS dispatcher not employed in the total study period
• EMS dispatchers without a completed training period (6 weeks total) at the start of the study period

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Central Denmark Region: lead

Study Sites (1)

Prehospital Emegency Medical Service, Central Denmark Region, Denmark

Aarhus N, Central Jutland, 8200, Denmark

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Gude MF, Valentin JB, Meisner-Jensen M, Bohnstedt-Pedersen NH, Dalgaard AK, Vaeggemose U, Blauenfeldt RA. Video Streaming or Telephone Communication During Emergency Medical Services Dispatch Calls: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jul 1;8(7):e2519020. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.19020.

  PMID: 40591356 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Martin F Gude, MD

  Prehospital Emergency Medical Service, Central Denmark Region, Denmark

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: The emergency caller (patient or bystander) is initially masked to the intervention (video or telephone communication) when initiating the call to the Emergency Medical Dispatch Center (EMDC). Emergency calls are randomly answered by an EMS Dispatcher using either video or telephone (audio-only) communication.
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Cluster Randomised Clinical Trials

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2023
• First Posted: February 24, 2023
• Study Start: January 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2023
• Study Completion: April 30, 2023
• Last Updated: August 30, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-08

Locations

DK (1)