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Introduction: An emergency is a serious, unexpected situation which may lead to injury, loss of life and damage to property and often needs urgent interventions. Emergency calls can bring urgent life-saving intervention in such situations. Although access to emergency lines for all persons of a society is one of the effectiveness indexes of this critical service, in most countries, these lines are not accessible for disabled people.Case presentation: This study examined the issue of emergency number accessibility for disabled people in the I.R. of Iran. Two persons who had been poisoned by carbon monoxide died because their deaf-mute father could not communicate with the Emergency Medical Service Center (EMSC). This led to the Emergency Medical Service Management Center (EMSMC), in collaboration with Iranian Society of Deaf People Family (ISDPF), developing a system that is a combination of short message system (SMS) and location-based information (LBI) to facilitate the communication of such disabled persons with EMSMCs. The system did not receive any emergency message until this report is provided. Conclusion: Because emergency call service has not been available for disabled people in Iran until now, emergency service organizations should take a proactive approach in developing a reliable and easy to use a method with the current technologies. These organizations should also provide information about the installed systems for end-users.

Road traffic safety is one of the major challenges for the future of smart cities and transportation networks. Despite several solutions exist to reduce the number of fatalities and severe accidents happening daily in our roads, this reduction is smaller than expected and new methods and intelligent systems are needed. The emergency Call is an initiative of the European Commission aimed at providing rapid assistance to motorists thanks to the implementation of a unique emergency number. In this work, we study the problem of classifying the severity of accidents involving Powered Two Wheelers, by exploiting machine learning systems based on features that could be reasonably collected at the moment of the accident. An extended study on the set of features allows to identify the most important factors that enable to distinguish accident severity. The system we develop achieves around 90% of precision and recall on a large, publicly available corpus, using only a set of eleven features.

This article presents the division of calls that are made to public safety answering points in the Republic of Poland. Next those calls were analysed starting from the very beginning of the operation of the emergency notification system, taking into account their percentage division into justified, false and cancelled calls. Factors that influence the number and type of registered calls were also presented. The last part of the article refers to proposed changes that could be made to reduce the number of false calls.

BACKGROUND: According to statistical data, since 2014, only about 20% of incoming calls to the emergency call centre have been actual emergency calls, others are classified as non-emergency or false calls. This leads to the question: Why is this situation happening in the Republic of Poland? OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to show the public’s awareness with regard to the purpose of 112 emergency number and to indicate the causes and effects of the discussed phenomenon as well as proposals aimed at changing the existing state of affairs. METHODOLOGY: Theoretical and empirical methods were used. An analysis was made of, inter alia, available literature on security and education for safety, sources of law and reports on the functioning of the emergency communication system. Interviews with experts, who are the 112 emergency number operators, were also conducted. CONCLUSIONS: There are many problems generated by the Polish citizens that prevent the proper functioning of the 112 emergency telephone number. The reasons lie primarily in two areas: the lack of adequate education within the context of all social groups and the lack of strict penalties for deliberate performing non-emergency calls or blocking the emergency line.

To provide spontaneous emergency services in the cases of vehicular accidents, the accident notifications have to be fast (real-time), accurate, guaranteed and easily accessible world-wide. The earlier and existing solutions for accident notification services are on commercial levels which are limited to particular voice call assistance only. The proposed approach focuses on globally accessible accident notifications. The aim here is to provide globally accessible real-time accident notifications that are to be delivered in form of a ‘Marker’ on Google Map. A ‘WebApp’ or ‘Webpage’ is suggested that displays google map with accident location marker on it. The Marker should contain the information like date & time of accident, vehicle and driver details and accident severity. The proposed ‘WebApp’ can be accessed by any hospital (emergency services) in the world. Meanwhile an emergency voice call and an SMS is also placed at registered emergency number. They can provide emergency medical services for the accidents in their region. The ‘Marker’ on Google Map can be deleted by medical service centre once the victim is provided the required help.

As the COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented, Latin American countries raced to announce plans to address gender-based violence in response to the increase in reports of intrafamily abuse However, states' interventions had limited results This article explores the Ecuadorian case The Andean country's emergency strategy was based on reporting violence via the 911 emergency number, a plan that failed to consider that women quarantined with their aggressors would not have the opportunity to make the call This article lays bare the extent of the gap between policy and practice in gender mainstreaming and the acute consequences of this during the pandemic © 2020 The Author Bulletin of Latin American Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for Latin American Studies

Background Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological problems among children. The aim of this survey was to assess the knowledge and attitude among preschool staff in Shanghai regarding epilepsy. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out among the staff at selected preschools. A stratified random sampling method was first used to identify suitable subjects. Data were obtained using a self-completed questionnaire. A standardized collection of demographic information was performed, and participants were given a questionnaire about their knowledge and attitudes regarding epilepsy. Results A total of 1069 subjects completed the questionnaire. In this survey, 387 (36.2%) staff members had previously participated in related training. 17.6% of teachers knew how to provide appropriate first aid for seizures. Correct responses regarding first aid for seizures, such as laying the person on his or her side (24.9%), moving harmful objects out of the way (20.7%), protecting the head (36.1%), waiting until the seizure ends (7.9%), and dialing the emergency number (40.1%), were low. The staff members had different attitudes towards children with epilepsy: some subjects had a positive attitude, some had a negative attitude. Conclusions The level of first-aid knowledge among preschool staff in Shanghai relevant to epilepsy was low. There is an urgent need to educate staff about epilepsy and appropriate first-aid practices for seizures.

Since 1937 calling for help has meant dialing three digits on a telephone. “999”—the emergency telephone number originally devised in London as the call signal for police, fire brigade, or ambulance assistance—has been appropriated as the model of emergency communications in 162 countries to date (with variations in the specific number used, such as 911 in America). In this article, I argue that the emergency number system provides a lens to rethink the relationship between citizens, state, and local communities in the diverse historical and geographical settings of its introduction, taking as case studies the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and New Zealand. The system has enhanced the possibilities for citizens to intervene in rescuing one another from “danger” by enabling them to coordinate the speed and location of state response to an event deemed an emergency. It thereby rests on an idea of citizenship characterized by active and reciprocal surveillance of each other’s behavior, as well as democratized access to medical or other emergency assistance. However, this article suggests that the system has been marked by its uneven distribution in economically deprived communities (conditioned by the commercial imperatives of telephone companies), reinforcing inequalities of access to state services along lines of wealth, class, and race both domestically and internationally. I therefore suggest it compromised the apparatus of “British” social democracy in this era, cultivating new forms of political and consumer activism among social groups demanding access to telephones for emergency assistance.

OBJECTIVE: In Denmark, calls to the Danish emergency number 1-1-2 concerning medical emergencies are received by an emergency medical communication center (EMCC). At the EMCC, health care professionals (nurses, paramedics, and physicians) decide the necessary response, depending on the level of emergency as indicated by the Danish Index for Emergency Care. The index states 37 main criteria (symptoms) and five levels of emergency, descending from A (life threatening) to E (not serious). An ambulance is not sent to emergency level-E patients (level-E patients), but they are given other kinds of help/advice. No prior studies focusing on Danish level-E patients exist, hence the sparse knowledge about them. This study aimed to characterize level-E patients in the Central Denmark Region and to investigate their progress in the health care system after the 1-1-2 call, regarding contacting 1-1-2 again, general practitioner and Emergency Department (ED) visits, hospital admission, and death.METHODS: This is a retrospective follow-up study of callers who contacted the EMCC of the Central Denmark Region and were assessed as level-E patients from August 2013 to July 2014. The study population was identified in the EMCC dispatch software, whose data were supplemented with health care data from three national registries.RESULTS: Of the 53,414 patients who called 1-1-2 over the study period, 4,962 level-E patients were included in the study. The median age was 47 years (IQR: 24.3-67.7), and 53.4% were men. The most common main criteria were extremity pain - minor wounds. Within 1 day after their 1-1-2 call, 42.1% had a subsequent contact with the health care system. Of those, 5.9% called 1-1-2 again, 24.3% contacted an ED, and 8.6% were admitted. The fatality rate was 0.1%.CONCLUSIONS: Level-E patients who contacted the EMCC of the Central Denmark Region were most frequently young adults. Almost 60% of level E-patients, who could be tracked, had no further contact with the health care system within a day after their 1-1-2 call. Of those who did, a quarter contacted an ED, indicating that level-E patients needed medical attention. The low fatality rates suggest limited undertriage, that is, level-E patients do not seem to need emergency medical service transportation. Further studies on undertriage among other things are needed.

Out-of-hospital emergency care (OHEC) should be accessible to all who require it. However, available data suggests that there are a number of barriers to such access in Africa, mainly centred around challenges in public knowledge, perception and appropriate utilisation of OHEC. Having reached consensus in 2013 on a two-tier system of African OHEC, the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) OHEC Group sought to gain further consensus on the narrower subject of access to OHEC in Africa. The objective of this paper is to report the outputs and statements arising from the AFEM OHEC access consensus meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa in April 2015. The discussion was structured around six dimensions of access to care (i.e. awareness, availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability and acceptability) and tackled both Tier-1 (community first responder) and Tier-2 (formal prehospital services and Emergency Medical Services) OHEC systems. In Tier-1 systems, the role of community involvement and support was emphasised, along with the importance of a first responder system acceptable to the community in which it is embedded in order to optimise access. In Tier-2 systems, the consensus group highlighted the primacy of a single toll-free emergency number, matching of Emergency Medical Services resource demand and availability through appropriate planning and the cost-free nature of Tier-2 emergency care, amongst other factors that impact accessibility. Much work is still needed in prioritising the steps and clarifying the tools and metrics that would enable the ideal of optimal access to OHEC in Africa.Les soins d’urgence hors de l’hôpital (OHEC) devraient être accessibles à tous ceux qui en ont besoin. Cependant, les données disponibles suggèrent qu’il existe un certain nombre d’obstacles à cet accès en Afrique, qui sont principalement liés aux difficultés en termes de connaissances du public des OHEC, de leur opinion sur ces derniers ainsi que de l’utilisation des OHEC appropriée par le public. Un consensus ayant été atteint en 2013 sur un système des OHEC d’Afrique à deux niveaux, le Groupe des OHEC de la Fédération africaine pour la médecine d’urgence (AFEM) a cherché à obtenir un consensus plus large sur le sujet plus précis de l’accès aux OHEC en Afrique. L’objectif de cet article est de rapporter les résultats et les déclarations issus de la réunion de concertation sur l’accès aux OHEC de l’AFEM tenue à Cape Town en Afrique du Sud en avril 2015. La discussion était organisée selon six dimensions d’accès aux soins (à savoir la sensibilisation, la disponibilité, l’accessibilité, le logement, l’abordabilité et l’acceptabilité) et a abordé les deux systèmes d’OHEC de Niveau 1 (premier intervenant au sein de la communauté) et de Niveau 2 (services préhospitaliers formels et services médicaux d’urgence). Dans les sytèmes de Niveau 1, le rôle de la participation et du soutien communautaire a été souligné, ainsi que l’importance d’un système de premier intervenant acceptable pour la communauté dans laquelle il est intégré afin d’optimiser l’accès. Dans les systèmes de Niveau 2, le groupe de concertation a souligné la primauté d’un seul numéro d’urgence gratuit, le fait de faire correspondre la demande en ressources des Services médicaux d’urgence à la disponibilité grâce à une planification appropriée, et la gratuité des soins d’urgence de Niveau 2, entre autres facteurs ayant une incidence sur l’accessibilité. Un travail poussé est encore nécessaire en matière de classement des étapes par priorité et de clarification des outils et critères qui permettraient un accès idéal et optimal aux OHEC en Afrique.

A szerzők áttekintést nyújtanak az egységes segélyhívó szám magyarországi bevezetésének folyamatáról.

The objective of this project is to realize and implement a complex system for remote monitoring of vital functions. The IOT-based health care system for the elderly is the cheapest medical device based on the IOT platform for patients and physicians. It provides a solution for measuring body parameters such as ECG, temperature, humidity and pulse. It also detects the location of patients to be sent to a doctor and in case of emergency it is possible to automatically call the emergency number accompanied by the GPS data.

It is proved that 85 percent of road accidents are occurred due to the drivers that are not able to control or stop the car on time. So to prevent this we have come up with an idea of car crash prevention and detection at the same time. In this obstacle will be detected using ultrasonic sensor and the car will stop as the obstacle is nearby and accident will be prevented. Still if the accident occurs then to take in concern that the injured should get emergency treatment as soon as possible crash detection will be done using vibrator sensor, which on detection of crash will activate the circuit and an S.O.S message will be sent to the nearest hospital, police station, fire brigade and emergency number of user. A new concept of crash prevention has been introduced in this where on the mountainous roads where there are blind curves smart poles will be used to notify the drivers on each side.

This research paper provides the new invention and boon to people suffering with epilepsy by early detection of the onset of tremors of epilepsy and sending the emergency call and emergency sms indicating location to police, hospital and his next to kin and relatives. Early detection of the onset of tremors of epilepsy takes place through bionics based dust sized, nano thin battery less wireless sensors, placed in cortex region of brain, which senses the tremors of epilepsy and with their external transreceiver embedded in hair thin, sweat and water resistant, three layered nano thin electronic circuit embedded in the fabric worn on head. Simultaneously, Bluetooth capabilities of electronic circuit send signals to dial emergency number on the patient's mobile, even locked mobile, just at the onset of tremors, so that his relatives can be informed immediately and simultaneously, emergency SMS service is also sent to the police, hospital, relatives with the location information so that even if the person goes unconscious, their location can be detected. Nano thin sensors are piezoelectric in nature and powered through mechanical energy developed from tremors of epilepsy which is further converted into electrical energy. Besides this, the nano thin layer in which the circuit is embedded also contains medicine, more specifically, dopamine chemical, which is delivered through the cells to the substantia nigra region of the brain because of the deficiency of which the tremors of epilepsy takes place. Pressure and temperature sensors are further added in the nano thin layer, to avoid any burning of skin when the medicine is delivered.

Aim Dyspnoea is frequent symptom among patients in ambulances after calling the emergency number, and mortality is high (1). However, knowledge regarding patient experience is sparse. As a first step in assessing subjective intensity of acute dyspnoea, we performed a pilot study in a prehospital setting. Methods A one-month pilot study in the Thy-Mors region of the North Denmark region. Emergency ambulance patients with difficulties breathing were asked to use a verbal rating scale to assess their dyspnoea at; 1) first arrival at patient, 2) approximately halfway to hospital, and 3) arrival at hospital. Results We included twenty-one patients, 76% were able to use the scale. Five were unable: two due to severe difficulties breathing i.e. an urgent acute situation, one due to difficulties understanding the scale, and two with no reason noted. Arrival at patient scores (median 8, confidence interval 6–8) were significantly higher than halfway scores (5, 3–6, p Conclusion The pilot study showed that 76% were able to use the scale. Scores were distributed on a wide range of the scale at all three measurements, and a significant decrease in scores were registered over time. These results indicate that the use of a verbal rating scale is feasible for assessing subjective intensity of acute dyspnoea in the prehospital setting. Reference Christensen EF, Larsen TM, Jensen FB, Bendtsen MD, Hansen PA, Johnsen SP, et al. Diagnosis and mortality in prehospital emergency patients transported to hospital: a population-based and registry-based cohort study. BMJ Open. 2016;6(7):e011558. Conflict of interest None declared. Funding None declared.

MORE THAN 30,000 people die in road accidents within the European Union (EU) each year. At least some of these fatalities could be prevented if the time taken by the emergency services to get to serious incidents could be reduced. One way of doing this would be for accident response centres to acquire accurate basic details on the nature of an incident as soon as it occurs. In a major pan-EU Intelligent Transport Systems initiative aimed at mitigating mortality rates resulting from critical vehicle collisions, the European Commission (EC) has adopted two proposals that will lead to common classes of road vehicles - cars and light vehicles such as vans - having the capacity to instantaneously alert emergency services if involved in a major crash. The eCall (emergency-call) system, set to become part of all eligible vehicles going onto EU roads after 1 October 2015, is designed to automatically call Europe's single emergency number -112 in the event of a serious accident, and transmit a stricken vehicle's geographical location to them, even if the driver may not be conscious. The EC estimates that as it rolls out eCall could eventually help save up to 2,500 lives a year. The scope of eCall is ambitious both in terms of its implementation and its effects. EC vice-president Siim Kallas, who holds special responsibility for transport issues, believes that eCall has the potential to reduce road deaths "in shortening dramatically the time of intervention of emergency services across the EU. When an accident happens, every minute counts".

O presente artigo avaliou as rotulagens de produtos saneantes comercializados na cidade de São Luís, Maranhão, através das normas ABNT 14725-3 (2012), resoluções da Agência Brasileira de Vigilância Sanitária – ANVISA e variáveis de Wogalter et al. (2002), verificando a ausência ou presença dessas informações por categoria de produto. O resultado mostrou que a maioria dos problemas é relacionado a não presença das informações de consequências da exposição ao perigo; não é observado o uso de pictogramas de perigo nas rotulagens de produtos de risco I; o número emergência é ausente em um grande número de embalagens, e que os produtos de risco 1, da categoria sabão e lava roupas, foram os que apresentaram mais problemas.

The collaborative emergency call-taking information system in the Czech Republic forms a network of cooperating emergency call centres processing emergency calls to the European 112 emergency number. Large amounts of various incident records are stored in its databases. The data can be used for mining spatial and temporal anomalies, as well as for the monitoring and analysis of the performance of the emergency call-taking system. In this paper we describe a method for knowledge discovery and visualisation targeted at the performance analysis of the system with respect to the organisation of the emergency call-taking information system and its data characteristics. The method is based on the Kohonen Self-Organising Map (SOM) algorithm and its extension, the Growing Grid algorithm.

Employing the emergency number 911 as a device to open onto two continents of governance – one ‘hot’ the other ‘cold’, one binary, the other the disaggregation of the binary – this paper shows that colonial governmentality is marked by a paradoxical combination of the two. Moreover, it argues that colonial governmentality is the progenitor of this form of governance which today, more than ever, stalks the landscape of liberal democracy and characterises its predominate political form.

Aims Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is increased by bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Bystander performance can be improved when CPR instructions are delivered by a calltaker at the Emergency Communications Centre. Little is known about a young person's ability to understand these instructions and perform CPR correctly. We assessed the ability of a group of untrained young people to effectively apply these directions to an adult resuscitation manikin. Methods 87 youngsters aged 7–15 years with no previous training in CPR were separately equipped with a mobile phone and an adult assessment manikin. They phoned the emergency number (111) and were automatically diverted to a senior emergency medical dispatcher (EMD). The EMD delivered resuscitation instructions which complied fully with Medical Priority Dispatch System (version 12.1). Performance was monitored using a Laerdal Computerised Skill Reporting System. Results Average compression depth increased with age from 10.3 mm to 30 mm for 8 and 15 year olds respectively. 100 compressions per minute was achieved in youngsters aged 10 years and older but the rate fatigued over time and improved after interruption for two ventilations. Those aged 11 years and older consistently compressed the chest from 31 mm to 50 mm. Only one participant could successfully ventilate the manikin by mouth-to-mouth. Conclusion This study demonstrates that untrained youngsters should perform compression-only CPR. From 11 years of age, they can effectively perform dispatcher-directed CPR by compressing the chest at an appropriate rate and depth. However, their technique benefits from formal training.

Smart phones with touch screen have become very popular and it has changed the behaviour of using handsets as many applications and features are inbuilt into it. But this smart phones are not safe to handle at the time of driving as the user have to touch the small icons of the screen and while doing that he may lose the concentration which increase the accident risk. So to avoid this problem this paper proposes the no-touch mechanism with the help of proximity sensor and Text to Speech and speech to text systems. And just in case any accident happens it will drop the message to the emergency number. As there is no touch mechanism we can initiate the applications without touching the screen by just waving the hand on proximity sensor twice. Text to Speech (TTS) and Speech to Text (STT) Systems are used for notification of the incoming messages through the voice and if user wishes to call to the particular contact in his contact list he can just call the name of that person and the call will get connected.

The operators working the emergency line 112 receive, evaluate and handle information about the type of incidence while performing their job. They also receive situations where they handle emergency calls dealing with suicides. Talking to a person with suicidal intent is an extremely stressful and mentally challenging situation. Operators are well aware when handling a suicide call a human life hangs in the balance. They are the ones which can discourage the intention of suicide or lose the caller. Due to the seriousness of the matter it is really essential that the operators are professionally prepared to handle such calls and successfully deal with this challenging situation. The thesis deals with the handling of suicide calls on the single European emergency line 112 in the South Bohemia and Plzen regions. I established two goals for the diploma thesis. The first objective is to compare the professional preparation of the emergency line 112 operators for handling suicide calls in the South Bohemia and Plzen regions. The second is to create a proposal for increasing the training preparedness of the emergency line 112 operators for dealing with suicide calls. The thesis is divided into a theoretical and practical part. The theoretic part covers the basic concepts of the topic of suicide. In general the reader becomes familiar with the basic concepts, such as forms, motives, causes, developmental stages, methods or risk factors for suicidal tendencies, past and present social attitudes and other facts are described. Further the issue of crisis intervention is clarified from the point of view of the emergency call 112 centers and their operators. The theoretical part of the thesis relies on the knowledge based on the analysis, synthesis and research from available sources dealing with this issue. Printed books, magazines, journals, laws, statutory regulations and methodology of the Czech Republic Fire and Rescue Service, Fighting rule of Fire protection units, Catalog File of Type Activities and electronic sources were used as references. To achieve the purpose and obtain answers to the research question, the qualitative methodology of research was used in the thesis. In both regions, on the basis of a questionnaire survey, readiness of the emergency number 112 operators to handle calls from individuals contemplating suicide was evaluated and the research question answered. Response to the research question proved that professional preparedness of the operators of emergency number 112 for handling calls related to suicide requires the operators possess additional professional knowledge and skills. Based on the data from the questionnaire survey and a study of the professional literature, design methodology is developed to enhance professional preparation service emergency number 112 suicide calls. The results from the questionnaire survey indicated that not all the operators demonstrated the same knowledge level and skills and that regularly all of them do not go through the same training on the theme of suicide. Therefore in design methodology, training divided by each category is incorporated. For each category, a schedule, structure and content of the training is elaborated and a suitable trainer is recommended. In the discussion and conclusion of this thesis there are further useful recommendations listed which relate to the research topic, however they are not part of the above mentioned methodology.

There is increased demand for emergency healthcare by the public when abroad. This study aimed to investigate adults' reported level of knowledge about how to contact emergency healthcare services while abroad. A street survey was administered at various times, over several days, to 554 members of the general public who had been abroad in the previous 18 months. Only 33.6% [95% confidence interval (29.6%-37.7%)] of respondents reported that they knew the emergency medical number for the country last visited. This did not differ by sex (34.2% males vs. 33% females). Those fluent in the language of the country last visited were more likely to report knowing the emergency number for that country (54%), compared with those who were not (24.8%) (P

Thousands of people die today and every day as a result of fatal injuries during car crashes, fires, floods and other emergencies. Many of them die absolutely needlessly. They often become in few moments in so serious situation that they are unable to call emergency by dialing emergency number on their mobile phone. Price of human lives is incalculable, that is why it is necessary to look for new solutions to their saving. This solution can be the emergency system built-in directly in the mobile phone, which will analyze the surrounding and based on the interpretation of sensors and will evaluate the necessity of emergency signal transmission.

Early reperfusion in the setting of an ST-elevation myocardial infarction is utmost importance. However, to provide optimal care to patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) is challenging. If a patient suffers from chest pain and calls the emergency number, initiation of a

The very early handling of patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is crucial for the outcome. In Gothenburg approximately two-third of all patients with AMI dial the emergency number for ambulance transport (reference).

Federal legislation to designate US hospitals as “stroke centres” only if they can administer alteplase within three hours from onset of symptoms is causing concern among doctors who question the drug's efficacy. The opponents also say the plans are an attempt to short-circuit a scientific debate that should be settled by doctors, not politicians. The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act, which is due to be considered by Congress, would authorise $165m (£101m; €144m) in 2003 and about $125m a year through to 2008 to establish the specialist stroke centres. The American Heart Association has launched a campaign telling the public to call the emergency number if they have symptoms of a stroke and another directed at …

Purpose of the study: Survival after sudden cardiac arrest depends on a well-functioning chain of survival. The first link of this chain: ‘Early Access’ indicates the importance of calling the emergency number bringing professional help to the scene. A previous study found that in general EU respondents were unfamiliar with 112 as an EU-wide emergency number, with just over a 26% correctly identifying 112 as the number to call anywhere in the EU in case of an emergency. Materials andmethods:A total of 2300 school students of three schools in the province of Limburg participated in a CPR training program. To assess, among others, whether students were familiar with the Europe-wide used emergency number they completed a questionnaire before start of the CPR-training. Results: A total of 2185 students completed the questionnaire (mean age 14.9, male: 50.4%). Of those 1776 (81.3%) students correctly mentioned the emergency number 112. The number was unknown to 383 students. An incorrect number was given by 26 students of whom 8 students mentioned 911. Correct answers for the different grades were 1 year: 81%, 2nd year 84%, 3rd year 82%, 4th year 79% and 5th year 81% (p= .064). Educational level and gender showed no difference. Of themiddle educational level students 82% and from the higher level students 81% gave the correct number (p= .168) Percentages for male students were 79% and female students 83% (p= .096) respectively. Conclusions: Knowledge of the European Emergency Number among students in secondary schools in this study is well above the rates previously measured in the Euro barometer and without differences between age, gender and school level. However there is room for improvement, indicating that CPR training for secondary school students should include teaching of the Europe wide used emergency number.

The BMA and the Ambulance Service Network have asked the government to put back the April 2013 deadline for the universal roll out of the non-emergency telephone number NHS 111 across England. NHS 111 is intended to be a 24 hour helpline for urgent but not life threatening health problems and is being piloted in three areas: County Durham and Darlington; Luton; and the East Midlands (Nottingham and Lincolnshire). The telephone number is due to be rolled out nationally by April 2013, when it will replace NHS Direct. In a letter to the health secretary for England, Andrew Lansley, the BMA makes it clear that it supports the principle behind …

The death of an 88 year old woman after an incident in a hospital in Oregon when no doctor was on the premises has renewed scrutiny of specialty hospitals in the United States owned by doctors. The hospitals have been controversial and are subject to a congressionally imposed moratorium on federal payments for new facilities. The moratorium was extended by six months in a bill signed into law earlier this month by President Bush. A Congressional committee said that the patient, Helen Wilson, was injected with the painkiller hydromorphone after back surgery at Physicians' Hospital, Portland, and went into cardiac arrest. The nursing staff called the emergency number, 911, to get help when she did not respond …

Knowledge of numbers to call for medical emergencies was compared among communities with three different call numbers: 1) 911; 2) regional seven-digit numbers; and 3) local seven-digit numbers. Correct responses were 85 per cent in the 911 communities; 47 per cent in areas with regional systems, and 36 per cent in areas with local systems. Persons living adjacent to a 911 area were more likely to believe 911 was the emergency number (28 per cent) than persons not adjacent to 911 areas (12 per cent).

After preliminary work by a voluntary special medical rescue group (Tehopelastusryhmary) and by a six month mobile cardiac care unit experiment, a mobile intensive care unit was started in Helsinki on December 16, 19 72. It is supported by the Community of the City of Helsinki and works in Cooperation with the Fire Department of the City of Helsinki. This MICU is stationed at the Meilahti Hospital, which is one of the teaching hospitals of Helsinki University Central Hospital. The staff consists of one ambulance physician, one nurse, and two Emergency Medical Technicians. Between emergency calls, the physician works in the emergency ward of the hospital. Education of an EMT consists of about 200 hr of theoretical and practical teaching in medical subjects, about 18 hr of theoretical and practical training in technical subjects, 5 weeks practical work in operating rooms, emergency rooms, different clinics, in the intensive care unit, and in the mobile intensive care unit. All emergency calls in this region go through a general dispatching center in Helsinki, which alarms those units which are needed. We have a general emergency number 000, but a separate alarm-number can be used for police -002, for the Fire Department, -005, and the Ambulance Dispatching Center -0066. The MICU can communicate with hospitals, other ambulances, and the general network of telephones by radio.

With the non-IN Emergency Response Service (ERS), the caller dials a special emergency number (very short, usually three digits) which is uniform within a country, (for example, 911 in the USA, and in West Germany 110/0110 for police and 112/0112 for fire or ambulance).