Information Categories Used to Create Situational Awareness in Emergency Medical Dispatch: A Scenario-Based Study

Abstract

In emergency medical dispatch it is essential to find out what has happened and what to expect. When this information is collected and processed it creates situational awareness. Dispatchers should have knowledge of relevant, necessary, and missing data to be able to dispatch the right medical response units with right information. The aim of this study was to identify the information categories needed to create situational awareness in emergency medical dispatch. In emergency medical dispatch, the information role and information need are different, depending on the role of dispatch centre personnel. ERC operators use similar types of information, regardless of the incident, whereas for incident monitors the incident affects the use of, and the need for, information. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.