Dr Nirukshi Perera1, Dr Marine Riou1, Ms Tanya Birnie1, Ms Debbie Strachan2, Dr Stephen Ball1,2, Prof. Judith Finn1,2
1Curtin University, Perth, Australia, 2St John WA, Belmont, Australia
Biography:
Prof Judith Finn is Director of the Prehospital, Resuscitation & Emergency Care Research Unit (PRECRU) in the Curtin School of Nursing, Perth, WA – St John WA being PRECRU’s principal research parter. Judith (critical care registered nurse and epidemiologist) was the inaugural Director of the Australasian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC).
Abstract:
Introduction: In 2015, the Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit (PRECRU), inspired by Clegg et al.’s formative study on the value of call transcript analysis, [1] embarked on a world-first journey – to engage a linguist, specialising in human interaction, to lead an interdisciplinary research program on communication in ambulance calls for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), in collaboration with St John Western Australia.
Methods: This presentation provides an overview of 16 call-based studies (2017-2026) that contribute to improving the early links in the Chain of Survival by understanding the interactional delays and enablers of OHCA recognition, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and defibrillation during emergency calls.
Results: We conducted a review of the findings and recommendations of each study and found four themes: 1) balancing call progressivity with caller-call-taker intersubjectivity, 2) script flexibility, 3) nuance in language, 4) health equity.
Conclusion: PRECRU’s linguistics research program has generated valuable knowledge for improving call handling procedures for emergency medical services (EMS), through both quantitative and qualitative evidence, including in-depth linguistic analyses of call interactions. Two implications for research translation and impact were identified for focus in the future: 1) implementing the findings in policy and practice in EMS call centres 2) improving the public’s understanding of what is required when they call for an ambulance.
Reference
[1] Clegg GR, et al. Dispatch-assisted CPR: Where are the hold-ups during calls to emergency dispatchers? A preliminary analysis of caller–dispatcher interactions during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using a novel call transcription technique. Resuscitation 2014;85:49–52.