Observational studyBMJ open2023
Can video communication in the emergency medical communication centre improve dispatch precision? A before-after study in Norwegian helicopter emergency medical services.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Live video versus audio-only emergency calls in simulated emergency medical dispatch: a randomized mixed-methods study.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Trial
- Video-assisted versus telephone-only pediatric emergency calls: a predefined substudy of the cluster randomized CAM-VISION trial.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Trial
- Assessment of clinical and logistical contribution in a Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service using integrated data: a retrospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Observational
- The competency requirements for emergency medical services call takers and dispatchers - a scoping review.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2026Article
- LiVE-STROKE: live video from bystander to the medical dispatcher in potential stroke cases.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Image transmission and video live-streaming in emergency medical communication centre: a narrative review of its feasability, use, and impact.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- Reducing time delays and enhancing reperfusion eligibility related to stroke suspicion by the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre: a registry-based observational study.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2025Observational
- The impact of concurrency conflicts on optimal location of air ambulance bases in Norway.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- "They were sort of in the room with me": a qualitative study about callers' experience of video streaming during medical emergency calls.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Medical dispatchers' experience with live video during emergency calls: a national questionnaire study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Characteristics of the most severely ill and injured patients in a Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service: a retrospective cohort study.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesDispatching helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) to the patients with the greatest medical or logistical benefit remains challenging. The introduction of video calls (VC) in the emergency medical communication centres (EMCC) could provide additional information for EMCC operators and HEMS physicians when assessing the need for HEMS dispatch. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact from VC in the EMCC on HEMS dispatch precision.
designAn observational before-after study.
settingThe regional EMCC and one HEMS base in Mid-Norway.
participantsEMCC operators and HEMS physicians at the EMCC and HEMS base in Trondheim, Norway.
interventionIn January 2022, VC became available in emergency calls in Trondheim EMCC. Data were collected from 2020 2021 (pre-intervention) and 2022 (post-intervention). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the proportion of seriously ill or injured HEMS patients, defined as a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) score between 4 and 7. The secondary outcome was the proportion of inappropriate dispatches, defined as missions with neither provision of additional competence nor any logistical contribution based on quality indicators for physician-staffed emergency medical services.
results811 and 402 HEMS missions with patient contact were included in the pre- and post-intervention group, respectively. The proportion of missions with NACA 4-7 was not significantly changed after the intervention (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.61, p=0.17). There was no significant change in HEMS alarm times between the pre- and post-intervention groups (7.6 min vs 6.4 min, p=0.15). The proportion of missions with neither medical nor logistical benefit was significantly lower in the post-intervention group (28.4% vs 40.3%, p=0.007).
conclusionThe results from this study indicate that VC is a promising, feasible and safe tool for EMCC operators in the complex HEMS dispatch process.
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