Medical Dispatchers' Perception of Visual Information in Real Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest

Medical Dispatchers' Perception of Visual Information in Real Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Qualitative Interview Study

Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a complex, nonvisual procedure that is challenging for the dispatcher. The aim was to explore the medical dispatchers' perception of bystanders' responses and dispatchers' reflections about the added value of visual information in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) situations.

Ten individual interviews with medical dispatchers who had previously handled an emergency call concerning OHCA captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) were conducted. First, the medical dispatcher listened to the emergency call and described their perception of the scenario. Afterward, the CCTV recording was shown to the dispatcher, who was then interviewed. The interviews were videotaped, and the audio files were transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was conducted.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Emergency Medical dispatchers who had previously handled an emergency call concerning OHCA captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV)

Exclusion Criteria:

• None