Presentation during session on: Running a non-emergency number in parallel with an emergency number

1. 25 avril 2019 1Fondation Urgences Santé
TWO EMERGENCY CALL NUMBERS,
ONE MEDICAL DISPATCH
LAUSANNE MEDICAL DISPATCH
SWITZERLAND
Les dénominations utilisées dans cette présentation sont applicables sans distinction aux personnes de sexe féminin et à celles de sexe masculin
Vincent Daigle
Operation Director
Fabrice Dami
Medical Director

2. 25 avril 2019 2Fondation Urgences Santé
• National numbers:
– 144:Ambulances, helicopters, disaster
management
– Police 117 (112 is re-directed to 117)
– Fire 118
• 26 States, each autonomous
for their health care system…
• Non-emergency medical calls:
each State has its own
organisation
– Re-direction to 144
– Private on-call physician
companies
– State’s non emergency medical
dispatch
Emergency calls in
Switzerland

3. 25 avril 2019 3Fondation Urgences Santé
• Responsible for 2 States since
2015 (4000 km2 - population: 1
million ~)
• Two seperate teams:
– non-emergency calls (since 1961)
• 250’000 calls (2018) (50% paediatrics)
• Dispatchers: nurses
– emergency calls (since 1993)
• 150’000 calls (2018)
• 66’000 missions (2018)
• Dispatchers: paramedics or nurses
Lausanne medical
dispatch

4. 25 avril 2019 4Fondation Urgences Santé
• Length of non emergency calls
• Availability of non-emergency dispatchers
(wait on line)
• To fullfill the population’s need of
information/advice/reassurance
• Usefullness of non-emergency dispatch
(studies)
• Nurse triage and responsabilities (headache,
abdominal pain)
• Population’s knowledge of those 2 numbers
• To keep emergency dispatchers available for
emergency calls
• Disappearance of on-call medicine
Challenges

5. 25 avril 2019 5Fondation Urgences Santé
• Same electronic system
• Same building
• Same company
• Specific competences
• Easy to transferts calls and
data (10 per day each way)
• Emergency dispatchers not
overwhelmed with low acuity
calls
• Medical advice proposed by
non emergency dispatchers:
better use of health care
system
Benefits

6. 25 avril 2019 6Fondation Urgences Santé
Two numbers for one
dispatch?
• To keep the emergency
line available
• To offer medical advice
– Demanding population
– Possible better use of
health care system
Conclusion

7. 25 avril 2019 7Fondation Urgences Santé
Thank you for your attention
Fabrice Dami, MD, MBA
Medical director
Lausanne dispatch
Fabrice.dami@urgences-sante.ch
Vincent Daigle
Operation director
Lausanne dispatch
Vincent.daigle@urgences-sante.ch