When to call Emergency Medical Service?
When to call Emergency Medical Service (EMS) at 194?
For emergency medical conditions, when someone’s life is directly threatened, or health is severely impaired, you should immediately call 194. Other health conditions, even if they require some treatment, may not require emergency medical care. Use the lists below as general guidelines. When in doubt, call 194.
Emergency medical conditions are:
- sudden onset of difficulty breathing,
- choking,
- cardiac and respiratory arrest,
- loss of consciousness,
- sudden severe chest pain or pressure,
- sudden quickening or slowing down of the heart rate or irregular heart rate,
- cramps (convulsions),
- confusion or trouble speaking, numbness or weakness in any part of the body, distortion of the face,
- severe injuries caused by traffic accidents and other sudden severe injuries (falling from a great height/animal bites/stings/shooting, etc.),
- uncontrolled/unusual bleeding on any of the natural body orifices,
- major burn,
- electric shock or being struck by lightning,
- hypothermia, heat stroke,
- drowning,
- poisoning with medication/narcotics/chemicals,
- severe allergic reaction,
- sudden and unusual pain (severe headache, severe chest pain/abdominal/back pain),
- sudden changes in behaviour that endanger the patient or the environment (attempted suicide/murder, etc.).
What will the medical dispatcher ask you?
Calling 194 does not always mean an ambulance will be sent. The medical dispatcher will ask you some standardized questions to determine the priority and criteria for further action in specific situation:
- The location of the emergency. Address? City/town?
- What happened? / What is the problem?
- What is the phone number you are calling from?
- Who needs help? How old is victim?
- Is the person conscious? Does he/she speak?
- What is the name and surname of the person you are calling for?
- Your name and surname?
Remember!
Knowing when NOT to call can also save lives by not wasting emergency resources on non-emergency cases. Besides, any unnecessary or fake call occupies the telephone line and prevents those whose lives are endangered from receiving EMS assistance. The response time and availability are decisive factors of EMS efficiency while taking care of non-urgent conditions takes the time of the EMS team on their way to respond to a necessary intervention.
How to talk to a medical dispatcher?
- Calmly and clearly. Do not hang up until the medical dispatcher tells you to!
- Describe precisely what has happened (the main symptom or reason for the call). The medical dispatcher must know the condition of the person you are calling for and whether they have already received any assistance.
- Explain the victim’s location by mentioning exact address and/or significant landmarks nearby, such as major traffic intersections, bridges, famous buildings, etc.
- Leave your name, address, and phone number. The medical dispatcher may need to call you back.
- Listen carefully to all instructions from the medical dispatcher, as they will instruct you what to do until the EMS team arrives. Follow the exact instructions and request clarification if you do not understand something.
- Stay with the patient until the EMS team arrives.
Why do medical dispatchers ask a lot of questions?
The question regarding the main problem that the dispatcher asks the caller determines the priority and criteria for further action in specific situation, which is why dispatchers should be allowed to guide the caller through the conversation. First-degree priority conditions require an urgent response of the EMS team, the second-degree priority conditions offer the possibility of delaying the provision of emergency medical care (if there is a more urgent patient), while in the case of the third-degree priority situations patients are directed to consult a general/family practitioner. Medical dispatchers monitor all vehicles and all teams in the field and always send the nearest vehicle to an emergency intervention.
What should you do until the EMS team arrives?
Stay with the person until the EMS team arrives. Follow the instructions given by the medical dispatcher. Try to remain serene and calm down the patient, make them warm and keep them awake. Do not give them anything to drink or eat. If the patient has fallen from a great height, has experienced a traffic accident, or is unconscious, do not move them unless they are in immediate danger, such as fire, explosion, or drowning. If needed and possible, begin providing first-aid measures according to the instruction given by medical dispatcher.
How can you help the EMS team find you as quickly as possible?
The EMS team will find you more easily if you turn on your front lights, illuminate the house number or send someone to meet the team. Clear the pathway to the patient –lock away family pets if any, remove obstructing furniture, flowers, parked cars and prepare medical records if possible.
Are conversations with medical dispatchers recorded?
Conversations with medical dispatchers in the medical dispatch units are recorded, and their contents are considered official medical secrets and are treated as such.
What if the 194 line is busy?
A busy telephone line means only that a medical dispatcher is talking to someone who also needs urgent help. Call 194 again and be persistent.
Are there any situations when the EMS team does not respond in the field?
In cases where there is no direct threat to someone’s life or their health is not seriously compromised (e.g. minor cuts, colds, chronic pain that does not change, broken fingers), EMS teams do not intervene. In this case, the medical dispatcher will advise you what to do and who to contact for help.
EMS does not provide house calls. They are within the scope of work of your general practitioner/family doctor.
Can a person close to the patient accompany them to the hospital in the EMS vehicle?
Every patient has the right to privacy, and this right is respected. In addition, other persons may adversely affect the patient’s condition and the ability of EMS team to provide the patient with care (for instance, due to vehicle capacity). Finally, the escort should not be exposed to risks. EMS team has the knowledge and skills, and the right and obligation to undertake all available medical procedures to take care of the patients and their welfare. Exceptionally, if a patient is a child and/or a person with a disability, an escort is permitted.
