When do medical operators choose to use, or not use, video in emergency calls? A case study

Abstract

Background An evaluation report for a pilot project on the use of video in medical emergency calls between the caller and medical operator indicates that video is only used in 4% of phone calls to the emergency medical communication centre (EMCC). Furthermore, the report found that in half of these cases, the use of video did not alter the assessment made by the medical operator at the EMCC.We aimed to describe the reasons for when and why medical operators choose to use or not use video in emergency calls.Method The study was conducted in a Norwegian EMCC, employing a thematic analysis of notes from medical operators responding to emergency calls regarding the use of video.Result Informants reported 19 cases where video was used and 46 cases where it was not used. When video was used, three main themes appeared: ‘unclear situation or patient condition’, ‘visible problem’ and ‘children’. When video was not used the following themes emerged: ‘cannot be executed/technical problems’, ‘does not follow instructions’, ‘perceived as unnecessary’. Video was mostly used in cases where the medical operators were uncertain about the situation or the patients’ conditions.Conclusion The results indicate that medical operators were selective in choosing when to use video. In cases where operators employed video, it provided a better understanding of the situation, potentially enhancing the basis for decision-making.