- 10:00: Trial lecture
- 12:00: Public defence
The ordinary opponents are:
- First opponent: Associate Professor Gitte Linderoth, Copenhagen University, Denmark
- Second opponent: Associate Professor Per Kristian Hyldmo, University of Stavanger, Norway
- Leader of the committee: Professor Ellen Blix, OsloMet, Norway
The leader of the public defense is Associate Professor Kristin Häikiö, OsloMet.
The main supervisor is Associate Professor Magnus Hjortdahl, OsloMet. The co-supervisor is Professor Jo Kramer-Johansen, University of Oslo.
Thesis abstract
When a person is acutely ill or injured, the public is encouraged to call the medical emergency number 113.
A dispatcher at an emergency medical communication centre (EMCC) answers medical emergency calls and, based on the information regarding the patient condition, makes a priority of urgency and allocates resources – traditionally all without seeing the patient or the situation.
In the recent years, video streaming has been introduced as an additional communication tool the dispatcher may use during calls. This advance makes it possible for the dispatcher to see the situation through the caller’s smart phone camera.
When video streaming was introduced, little was known of the benefits and disadvantages of such use of video streaming.
Results
In this thesis, I show which implications video streaming can have when used during a medical emergency call. I explore both the experiences of callers and dispatchers and show potential effects of video streaming on bystander first aid.
Our results revealed mainly positive impacts of video streaming during calls, for example a better understanding of the situation at hand for the dispatchers, which can impact triage and allocation of resources.
Video streaming can also lead to an increased sense of safety for the callers, which can improve communication between caller and dispatcher. The dispatchers also more often recognised that the patient had a need for first aid when video streaming was used.
There were negative findings as well in the qualitative studies, some callers felt more stressed when having to film during an emergency.
Video streaming can be an important supplement tool during a medical emergency call and may improve dispatchers’ situation awareness and decision making. This can in turn have important impacts on patient treatment.
However, basic communication techniques remain an important foundation during the call. More research is needed for identification of how and when video streaming is of best use during a medical emergency call.
