Citation

Brodsky H. Am. J. Public Health 1992; 82(6): 873-875.

Affiliation

Department of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park 20742.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1585968

PMCID

PMC1694170

Abstract

When a road accident occurs, the police communications officer, or 911 operator, generally receives the first call. If the caller reports injuries, the emergency medical services dispatcher is notified immediately; but if the caller is uncertain of injuries, the operator may wait. Most often an ambulance is not needed. However, in nearly 20% of fatal road accidents in Missouri, waiting for confirmation of need resulted in a delay of 5 minutes or more in the dispatch of an ambulance.