Why do Ambulance dispatch operators ask such stupid questions when...
A. They know I am not with the patient
B. They know I don't what the persons condition is, apart from they have collapsed and are no longer responding to the telephone, yet they still insist on reading their script. In the end I had to keep saying 'I don't know' just to pasify the stupid woman. Whatever happened to common sense.
It's not her fault, she probably had a script she has to keep to, and supervisors randomly listening to calls to make sure she keeps to the script. She probably thinks it's as ridiculous as you, but she wants to keep her job
Perhaps my choice of words could have been better. No, it's not her fault, but when you are asked irrelevent questions and feeling anxious at the time all you can think about is getting help to the person in question asap, not aswering daft questions. The system/script needs adjusting so that situations like mine where the caller is not with the patient and has little or no information on the patients condition they can fast track to obtain information that IS important, like name and address!
Yes, I agree the questions are important when you are with the patient or know their condition, but as I said in my opening email, I told them I was NOT with the patient and had NO information about the persons condition apart from suspecting they had collapsed and could not respond to the telephone. She still insisted though on reeling off question after question as though I was right next to the patient. Very frustrating at the time
I quite agree Stephen, even when you are with the patient, and HAVE explained the circumstances, they still have to go through their script, wasting valuable time!!
Meg,that is just one of the inane questions that you are asked. If they weren't OK, then one wouldn't be calling.
"Are they breathing?" Well, if they weren't I would be calling another professional.
I have even had this after phoning our surgery and being told to dial 999, on a doctor's advice, and then still being put through their interrogation because, that is exactly what it feels like, an interrogation, when all you need and want is immediate assistance.
Who is any layman, or hopefully you may just get someone with a little medical knowledge, but even then they are not allowed to use that, NOR common sense, to judge any condition by using a check list?!
Under the cercumstances you have discribed it dose sound like the time taken to ask what would appear to be irevlelent questions could have been better spent. Frustrating!....but l dare say the protocols surrounding emergency calls leave very little movement for initiative ... especially so when you consider the differing array of emergency calls that an ambulance call center will have to deal with.
I s'pose it's partly because there's a fair chance that the caller will be somewhat panicky - so they have to keep to the script in order to make sure nowt is missed in the flap
The views and comments posted in these fora are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the Management of Cruise Community Forum.
The Management of the Cruise Community Forum does not, under any circumstances whatsoever, accept any responsibility for any advice, or recommendations, made by, or implied by, any member or guest visitor of Cruise Community Forum that results in any loss whatsoever in any manner to a member of Cruise Community Forum, or to any other person.
Furthermore, the Management of Cruise Community Forum is not, and cannot be, responsible for the content of any other Internet site(s) that have been linked to from Cruise Community Forum.
