ArticleBMJ open2019
Satisfaction of 30 402 callers to a medical helpline of the Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Evaluation of the performance of telephone triage service.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Implementation of autonomous decision protocols for emergency medical dispatchers: caller satisfaction survey and evolution of practices.International journal of emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Strengthening the WHO Emergency Care Systems Framework: insights from an integrated, patient-centered approach in the Copenhagen Emergency Medical Services system-a qualitative system analysis.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- What do users want from rheumatology telephone advice lines? A cross-sectional survey with the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2025Article
- Identifying performance indicators to measure overall performance of telephone triage - a scoping review.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- Ambulance crew-initiated non-conveyance in the Helsinki EMS system-A retrospective cohort study.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2022Article
- "We can't do without it": Parent and call-handler experiences of video triage of children at a medical helpline.PloS one · 2022Article
- Impact of a telephone triage service for non-critical emergencies in Switzerland: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo keep healthcare systems sustainable for future demands, many countries are developing a centralised telephone line for out-of-hours primary care services. To increase the quality of such services, more information is needed on factors that influence caller satisfaction. The aim of this study was to identify demographic and call-related characteristics that are associated with the patient satisfaction of callers to a medical helpline in Denmark.
designRetrospective cohort study on patient registry data and questionnaire results.
settingNon-emergency medical helpline in the Capital Region of Denmark.
participantsA random sample of 30 402 callers to the medical helpline between May 2016 and May 2018. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses of a satisfaction questionnaire were linked to demographic and call-related dispatch data. Associations between the characteristics were analysed with multivariable logistic regression analysis with satisfaction as the dependent variable. A subgroup analysis was performed on callers for children aged between 0 and 4 years.
resultsOf the 30 402 analysed callers, 73.0% were satisfied with the medical helpline. Satisfaction was associated with calling for a somatic injury (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.72 to 2.23), receiving a face-to-face consultation (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 2.04 to 2.50) and a waiting time less than 10 min (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.56 to 2.08). Callers for a 0-year to 4-year-old patient were more likely to be satisfied when they called for a somatic illness or received a telephone consultation, compared with the rest of the population (p<0.0001).
conclusionCallers were in general satisfied with the medical helpline. Satisfaction was associated with reason for encounter, triage response and waiting time. People calling for 0-year to 4-year-old patients were, compared with the rest of the population, more frequently satisfied when they called for a somatic illness or received a telephone consultation.
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