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Simplified 9-1-1 Interactions Spurred More Bystander CPR

(Photo credit: MedPage Today)
(Photo credit: MedPage Today)

— Improvements seen in Los Angeles regardless of callers’ English proficiency

After switching to a simplified communication strategy, Los Angeles emergency dispatchers got more 9-1-1 callers to initiate early CPR on people with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), especially callers speaking limited English.

In a retrospective cohort study, the rate of callers with limited English proficiency engaging in telecommunicator CPR increased significantly from 28% to 69% after the City of Los Angeles 9-1-1 Dispatch Center transitioned from using the standard Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) to using the Los Angeles Tiered Dispatch System (LA-TDS).

“Any innovations to 9-1-1 operator procedures that allow for improved and expedited recognition of cardiac arrest, and result in increased bystander CPR rates, will lead to improved outcomes for OHCA,” commented Brian Grunau, MD, MHSc, of St. Paul’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, who was not involved with the study.

Click here for the full story on MedPage Today.