999RESPOND2

emeRgEncy diSPatch decisiONs using viDeo consultation

The 999RESPOND-2 project is an NIHR funded project which hopes to continue work undertaken in the HCRW funded 999RESPOND project. 

Main Research Question: 

In VC, how are risk and severity indicators in an emergency identified by and brokered amongst on/off-site participants for the dispatch of ECCTs compared to phone calls?

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are under pressure to optimise use of scarce resource while handling increased demand. In recent years, live video consultation (VC) has been adopted among call-handlers, ECCTs, ambulance clinicians, and/or members of the public to potentially add information and mitigate the shortcomings of audio and written channels. However, there is a void in understanding how VC affects risk negotiation with professionals who have been trained to make optimal use of audio/written channels.

We argue that current use of VC disrupts communication practices known and practiced by professionals. Without proper training and guidelines, professionals conduct VC based on intuition and own experience. This complexifies systems’ ability to cope and may increase risk. There is thus an urgent need to evaluate the impact of VC as a complex disruption to current communication practices (based on phone calls) on risk negotiation and ECCTs dispatch to support and regulate its use.

WP1 – Undertake a review of the literature on the use of video consultation in dispatch decisions. Conduct document analysis of policy, guidance and training shared to us by all UK ambulance services relating to the use of video consultation. Conduct interviews, focus groups and workshops with EMS staff, critical care staff, managers and policy makers from UK ambulance services and HEMS charities.

WP2 – Extraction and analysis of 999 audio calls, video call recordings, and textual records of calls attended by EMRTS/Welsh Air Ambulance Charity. Calls will be analysed using an interactional socio-linguistic framework which analyses communication practices.

WP3 – The development of the theory of change, co-developed with key stakeholders and an economic evaluation of the use of VC.

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