Piecewise Affine Dynamical Models of Petri Nets – Application to Emergency Call Centers*

We study timed Petri nets, with preselection and priority routing. We represent the behavior of these systems by piecewise affine dynamical systems. We use tools from the theory of nonexpansive mappings to analyze these systems. We establish an equivalence theorem between priority-free fluid timed Petri nets and semi-Markov decision processes, from which we derive the convergence to a periodic regime and the polynomial-time computability of the throughput. More generally, we develop an approach inspired by tropical geometry, characterizing the congestion phases as the cells of a polyhedral complex. We illustrate these results by a current application to the performance evaluation of emergency call centers in the Paris area. We show that priorities can lead to a paradoxical behavior: in certain regimes, the throughput of the most prioritary task may not be an increasing function of the resources.

System Management Software for Emergency Call

Present the experience of the development of a system as an effective communication strategy between the user/requester and the mobile prehospital care service. Approach: It is a methodological study, fragmented into five stages, developed by health and technology professionals and students. Result: The five stages were followed to reach the final product. Conclusion: The app is groundbreaking and contributes to the safe and efficient communication with healthcare professionals and users.

Mediating Role of Stress at Work in the Relationship of Alexithymia and PTSD among Emergency Call Operators

Aim: The main purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia, stress at work, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in impact emergency call center operators working in Poland (province of Greater Poland). The risk of exposure to critical life events was also considered. Methods: Data were collected using self-report questionnaires administered after dispatchers’ shifts. The emergency call center operators (N = 66) completed the Impact of Event Scale—Revised, 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Workplace Perceived Stress Questionnaire, and a questionnaire measuring the frequency and intensity of potentially traumatic events faced by emergency operators (a questionnaire developed by the authors). Results: Twenty of the most frequent events (e.g., child sexual harassment, rape, etc.) were identified. Results indicated that post-traumatic stress positively correlated with (a) work-related stress and (b) one aspect of alexithymia: difficulty expressing feelings. Additionally, work-related stress was identified as a mediator for the relation between alexithymia and the intensity of post-traumatic stress. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm that emergency operators are a high-risk group for the development of PTSD. The study results suggest that performing the work of an emergency dispatcher is not only demanding but also inherently involves participation in potentially traumatic events (as encountered through emergency calls).

Abstract 13248: The Impact of Instructions for Covering the Mouth and the Nose on Dispatch-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Introduction: Under the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, rescuers are recommended to cover their mouth and nose with a facemask or a cloth as well as victim’s mouth and nose when performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, its impact on dispatch-assisted CPR (DACPR) has not been investigated well. Hypothesis: DACPR including the instruction for covering the rescuer’s and the victim’s mouth and nose can significantly delay the start of the first chest compression. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed DACPR records of the Nara Wide Area Fire Department, covering population of 853,000/3361km 2 , in Japan. We investigated the key time intervals of 505 DACPR records between May 2020 and March 2021. We also compared the results to that of the same period in 2019 (535 records). Results: Dispatchers failed to provide mask instruction in 322 cases (63.8%). The median time interval from the emergency call and the start of CPR instruction was longer in 2020 (197 seconds vs 190 seconds, p=0.641). The time to the first chest compression was also delayed in 2020 (264 seconds vs 246 seconds, p=0.015). Among the cases that dispatchers successfully provided mask instruction (183 cases, 36.2%), median time intervals to the start of instruction and the first chest compression were relatively faster than cases without mask instruction (177 seconds vs 211 seconds and 254 seconds vs 269.5 seconds, respectively). Conclusions: Dispatchers failed to provide mask instruction in the majority of CA cases. However, our study results indicate that the impact of mask instruction on DACPR can be minor in terms of immediate CPR provision.

Is The Covid-19 Vaccine Halal? Revisiting The Role of National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and JAKIM

The urge to be vaccinated has increased rapidly during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Resorting vaccine products is seen as the only way to break the chain of COVID-19 spread and eventually stop the pandemic. To this dire need, many consumers face the dilemma to be vaccinated or to opt-out of the vaccination program when the safety issues of vaccine products are widely circulated. The Muslim consumers, particularly, experiences double worry on the issue of safety and halal status of the vaccine product. Due to the emergency call to have the vaccine in the market as soon as possible, the innovation and production were carried out in an expedited manner, and the necessity to have the vaccine be certified as halal was bypass. When the news on the vaccine product uses non-halal ingredients reaches the Muslim community in Malaysia, they were taken aback and demanded immediate answers from the authorities. Thus, in addressing this issue, this study intends to critically analyse the role of NPRA and JAKIM in ensuring the safety and halal status of a product with the aim of suggesting a review of the existing role. This article adopts a qualitative research methodology where interviews will be the supporting method to a library-based and doctrinal study.

The "unclear problem" category: An analysis of its implications and effects on the emergency medical dispatch process in Copenhagen, Denmark

ObjectiveAn effective emergency medical dispatch process is vital to provide appropriate prehospital care to patients. It increases patient safety and ensures the sustainable use of medical resources. Although Copenhagen has a sophisticated emergency medical services (EMS) system with a significant focus on public welfare, more than 10% of emergency calls are still being categorized as an "unclear problem" and are thus not categorized as "symptom-specific". Therefore, the objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of underlying implications that lead to the categorization of an emergency call as "unclear". This research investigates the effects of the "unclear problem" category (UPC) on the medical dispatching process at the emergency medical dispatch center in Copenhagen. Also, it explores the effectiveness of educating medical dispatchers about the use of the UPC to reduce its use. MethodsThis was a register-based study based on medical emergency call data. Descriptive analyses were conducted to investigate the effect of using the UPC on the medical dispatching process and determine the impact of alerting medical dispatchers to reduce its use. ResultsThe UPC accounted for 11.4% of the calls. Elderly patients were most often dispatched with the UPC. The UPC could impact the medical dispatching process in several potentially harmful, ways. Namely, it could lead to under or over triage and lead to inefficient use of EMS resources. Sensitizing medical dispatchers about the use of the UPC could have contributed to the decrease in the use of the UPC. ConclusionThe use of the UPC could have negative implications on patients' outcomes and the efficient use of EMS resources due to its possible impact on over-or under triage. The UPC is mainly used when dispatching the elderly. Nonetheless, the use of the UPC decreased throughout the study period after the medical dispatchers were alerted about the implications of its use.