IAED EMD key terms

A trained call-taker who uses scripted protocols to gather information from a 911 caller, assign a response priority, give telephone instructions, and send the appropriate medical resources.

The first phase of the call, in which the dispatcher confirms the location and callback number, finds out what happened, and starts the matching protocol.

The caller's main reason for requesting help, stated in the caller's own words, which the dispatcher uses to choose the right protocol for the rest of the call.

A standardized, numbered set of questions and instructions that the dispatcher follows for one type of emergency so that every caller receives consistent, scripted care.

The code assigned when key questioning ends. It combines the complaint, the patient's condition, and the answers given, and it sets how urgently responders are sent.

The standardized questions asked after Case Entry that test for high-risk findings such as not breathing, not alert, or severe bleeding, and that drive the determinant choice.

How well the patient responds to voice or touch. A patient who is not fully alert is a high-risk finding that raises the determinant and may trigger immediate instructions.

Specific findings named in a protocol, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, or altered consciousness, that move a call to a higher determinant level and shorten response time.

The step of confirming whether the patient is breathing normally, using look, listen, and feel, because absent or abnormal breathing shifts the call to a cardiac arrest response.

Gasping, snoring, or occasional irregular breaths seen in the first minutes of cardiac arrest. It is not normal breathing and must be treated as no breathing at all.

The short plain-language label attached to a determinant, such as chest pain with normal breathing, which sums up the patient's condition for the responders who are sent.

The most urgent determinant level, used for time-critical events such as cardiac arrest or choking. It requires the fastest response and immediate pre-arrival instructions.

The least urgent determinant level, assigned to calls that are not true emergencies, such as a minor illness or injury, and that may receive a non-emergency response.

The way a patient was hurt, for example a fall, a vehicle crash, or a penetrating wound, which helps the dispatcher judge how serious the injury may be.

The count of people needing help at the scene. It determines how many units are sent and can change the response level.

Any danger at the location, such as fire, a weapon, traffic, or a violent person, that must be identified so responders are not sent into an unsafe situation.

A 911 call in which the caller hangs up before the dispatcher has the needed information. The dispatcher must try to call back and may still send help.

The telephone number confirmed at Case Entry so the caller can be reached again if the line drops, the call is cut off, or more information is needed later.

The phone system feature that displays the number the caller is calling from. The dispatcher confirms it with the caller rather than assuming it is correct.

The phone system feature that supplies the address linked to the caller's number. Dispatchers verify it because it can be wrong, especially with cell phones.

Two intersecting roads near the emergency that the dispatcher can ask about when the caller does not know the exact address, so responders can find the location.

A person who calls for help on behalf of someone else and is not beside the patient. Instructions may be limited because the caller cannot see or touch the patient.

A telephone interpretation service the dispatcher uses when the caller does not share the dispatcher's language, so questioning and instructions can still be given accurately.

The process of sorting incoming calls by urgency so that resources go first to the patients with the most time-critical problems.

The scripted medical instructions and information a dispatcher gives by telephone before responders arrive, intended to keep the patient alive and stop the condition getting worse.

Step-by-step directions given while help is on the way, such as CPR, choking relief, or bleeding control, that let an untrained caller give care under the dispatcher's direction.

Chest compressions coached over the phone. The dispatcher guides the caller through hand placement, depth, rate, and rhythm until responders take over.

Compressions performed without rescue breaths. It is used for untrained or unwilling callers because it is simpler to coach and still works well for adult cardiac arrest.

Directions given to a caller whose patient cannot breathe, speak, or cough, telling them to deliver abdominal thrusts or back blows until the object is cleared.

Instructions to press firmly and directly on a bleeding wound with a clean cloth or dressing, and to keep pressing until responders arrive.

Directions given once the response is moving and often after pre-arrival instructions, such as unlocking the door, turning on lights, or gathering medications, to speed the responders' work.

The final step of the call, in which the dispatcher confirms that help is coming or instructions are finished, releases the caller, and completes the record.

Going back into the protocol to ask more questions or raise the determinant when new information shows the patient is sicker than first believed.

An instruction telling the caller not to hang up so the dispatcher can keep coaching, collect more details, or update the caller while responders are travelling.

A detail collected during key questioning because age changes how a condition is ranked, with very young infants and elderly patients often treated as higher risk.

The written record of the call, including the protocol used, answers given, determinant assigned, and instructions provided, kept for quality review and legal purposes.