Distance assistance for first aid in trauma: literature review and a draft of the dispatcher algorithm

Abstract

Being a common cause of death and disability, injuries remain a highly relevant global public health problem. In Russia, injuries hold one of the leading positions in the structure of mortality of the population, causing significant social and economic losses for the country. While the likelihood of saving lives and preventing severe complications in injuries largely depends on the ability of witnesses of the incident to early and correctly provide first aid (FA) to the victims, the actual frequency of providing FA remains low. A promising way to involve untrained people in the process of providing FA is to remotely instruct witnesses of the incident by emergency dispatchers on how to give FA. This article discusses international experience of dispatcher assistance for FA in trauma and presents a draft of a universal Russian-language algorithm for remote dispatcher interviewing and advising witnesses of the incident on provision of FA in trauma, that was developed taking into account the current Russian and international guidelines. The algorithm is proposed for further appraisal and implementation in the practical work of emergency dispatchers as a basic component of the federal program of dispatcher assistance for FA.