
==== Front
Resusc Plus
Resusc Plus
Resuscitation Plus
2666-5204
Elsevier

S2666-5204(24)00217-0
10.1016/j.resplu.2024.100766
100766
Letter to the Editor
One in ten emergency medical calls in Slovenia originate from different location
Metličar Špela @metlicars
spela.metlicar@kclj.si
⁎
Medical Dispatch Centre Maribor, University Clinical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maribor, Slovenia
Žula Larisa
Medical Dispatch Centre Maribor, University Clinical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Fijačko Nino
University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maribor, Slovenia
Maribor University Medical Centre, Maribor, Slovenia
⁎ Corresponding author at: Trg Leona Štuklja 10, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia. Medical Dispatch Centre Maribor, University Clinical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. @metlicarsspela.metlicar@kclj.si
10 9 2024
12 2024
10 9 2024
20 10076626 8 2024
27 8 2024
© 2024 The Author(s)
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
==== Body
pmcTo the editor,

The 112-emergency number is accessible from any phone through calls, texts, and in some countries, video calls.1 It is estimated that approximately 80% of all emergency calls in the United States of America are made from mobile phones.2 Using mobile phones for emergency calls affects the available communication methods and the accuracy of pinpointing the caller's location. The aim of this study is to investigate the callers' characteristics of 112 calls to the emergency medical services in Slovenia (Europe) and explore the challenges faced by Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs).

The study was carried out over a two-month period, between 15 June and 15 August 2024. During the study, two EMDs separately documented their call data for each shift. This data included the caller's location (whether at the emergency scene or elsewhere) and the type of phone used (mobile or stationary). Additionally, in some cases EMDs documented caller ability to switch on speaker mode when needing to assess the victim's breathing (e.g., at the time of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest). We excluded calls originating from regional emergency operations centres, nursing homes, hospitals, community healthcare centres, police forces and and follow-up calls related to ongoing interventions.

Both EMDs handled a total of 1270 calls, of which 905 (71.3%) were eligible for analysis. In general, most calls were made from mobile phones (94.6%; 856/905), with a smaller number from stationary phones (5.4%; 49/905). In nearly one in ten calls (9.3%; 84/905), the caller was not at the scene of the emergency but was calling from a different location. Of the 63 callers who were asked to use speaker mode, a minority (11.1%; 7/63) were unable to do so due to lack of skills.

Identifying the exact location of the patient is the first and one of the most important steps in emergency medical dispatching. If the caller is not present at the scene of the emergency, this can lead to several challenges for EMDs. Firstly, the location information verbally provided by callers who are not at the emergency scene can be vague, imprecise, or entirely incorrect. The most accurate way to localize a patient is by obtaining their exact address or precise Global Positioning System coordinates. Secondly, when callers are not present at the scene, EMDs cannot assess the patient's condition in real time or offer real-time guidance to bystanders. Conversely, callers at the scene can use their mobile phones in speaker mode, allowing them to follow the EMDs' instructions hands-free, such as during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This approach has demonstrated improved outcomes for victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.3, 4 EMDs in Slovenia spend significant time gathering information from callers who are not at the emergency scene before they can contact laypeople present at the location, leading to substantial delays in activating emergency medical services. To ensure efficient emergency care, it is crucial to educate the public to call from the scene of emergency.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: ‘Nino Fijačko is a member of the ERC BLS Science and Education Committee. Other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.’.

Acknowledgment

None.

Funding

Nino Fijačko is supported by Slovenian Research Agency grants ARRS P2-0057 , ARRS N3-0307 , ARRS BI-US/22-24-138 , NextGenerationEU and MVZI (C3330-22-953012 ).
==== Refs
References

1 Steen-Tveit K. Munkvold B.E. Radianti J. Using live video for communication between lay bystanders and emergency dispatchers in command and control centres Int J Emerg Manag 17 2022 154 176
2 National Emergency Number Association. Accessed 15 July 2024, at: https://www.nena.org/page/911Statistics.
3 Huang S.K. Chen C.-Y. Shih H.-M. Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation: differential effects of landline, mobile, and transferred calls Resuscitation 146 2020 96 102 31756360
4 Nishimura T. Suga M. Hongo T. Comparison of outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients: emergency calls placed from mobile phones vs. landline phones Resusc Plus 15 2023 100434 37583510
