IAED EMD study guide
IAED EMD · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The IAED Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) certification is a professional credential for calltakers who handle emergency medical calls using the IAED Priority Dispatch System. According to the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, certification is required to use any of the IAED Priority Dispatch Systems, and it signals that a dispatcher has been trained to guide callers through complex, high-stress emergencies with a structured, protocol-driven approach. The IAED EMD study guide has 4 sections and about 1,524 words.
01Case Entry and Call Processing
Case Entry is the first scripted phase of the call and the point at which everything downstream is fixed. Before a protocol number is chosen, the EMD establishes the exact location of the patient, a callback number, and a brief picture of what happened in the caller's own words.
378 words, about 2 min02Key Questioning and Determinant Selection
Once a protocol is selected, the EMD works through that protocol's Key Questions in the order written. Each answer narrows the field of possible determinants; the questions are not a menu to be sampled.
344 words, about 2 min03Dispatch Life Support (Pre-Arrival Instructions)
Dispatch Life Support is the set of medically approved instructions the EMD delivers by telephone before responders arrive. It has two families: Post-Dispatch Instructions , given as a routine part of the call, and Pre-Arrival Instructions , given when a specific protocol calls for them and when the situation is time-critical - CPR, choking relief, bleeding control, and childbirth are the classic examples.
413 words, about 2 min04Post-Dispatch Instructions and Call Closure
Once the determinant is selected, the protocol directs a set of Post-Dispatch Instructions - the safety and readiness steps that make the responders' arrival faster and safer. Typical content: unlock the door and turn on the outside light, put pets in another room, have medications and identification ready, do not move the patient unless in danger, and call back if the patient's condition changes.
389 words, about 2 min