3 ms·

The full analysis of the call is fascinating. For the dispatcher, the question was sensible because "I don't know" is one fork in triage that helps separate fr

The full analysis of the call is fascinating. For the dispatcher, the question was sensible because "I don't know" is one fork in triage that helps separate from answers like "she's diabetic so maybe her blood sugar dropped". For the caller, it feels like he's expected to have an answer and isn't getting helped by the dispatcher, particularly if he already knows that he doesn't have any useful information. From a completely dispassionate view, the dispatcher still got his answer: no known cause, continue to step 2. But as far as training dispatchers, it raises all kinds of questions: Can you reorder the questions to get the caller's observations and then their knowledge? Can you rephrase 'why?' so that "I don't know" feels like part of the process and not a breakdown of it? Can you prepare the dispatcher better to deescalate or ignore the hostility instead of worsening it?

GauntletWizard 7y ago
"do you know why" or "have an idea why" might be a good jumping off point, though a lot slower to say. "Are you aware of any existing conditions (that might be relevant to this emergency)" is probably too long.
- Bartweiss 7y ago
  "Do you know why" sounds pretty good. It's not only less demanding, it's less likely to attract a guess from someone who feels obliged to answer. Emergency Medical Dispatch is a fascinating case study of technical communication in general. Lots of jobs train people to communicate urgent information clearly, but EMD has exceptionally specific limitations. Only one side of the call is trained, so you can't rely on rehearsed protocols like EMTs or police officers would. And the priority of information is completely unintuitive to most of us because it's not just importance, but sequencing: info needed to dispatch an ambulance comes first, then info to help the caller do first aid, and only after that the seemingly crucial stuff like "what's actually making them sick".

GauntletWizard 7y ago

"do you know why" or "have an idea why" might be a good jumping off point, though a lot slower to say. "Are you aware of any existing conditions (that might be relevant to this emergency)" is probably too long.

Bartweiss 7y ago
"Do you know why" sounds pretty good. It's not only less demanding, it's less likely to attract a guess from someone who feels obliged to answer. Emergency Medical Dispatch is a fascinating case study of technical communication in general. Lots of jobs train people to communicate urgent information clearly, but EMD has exceptionally specific limitations. Only one side of the call is trained, so you can't rely on rehearsed protocols like EMTs or police officers would. And the priority of information is completely unintuitive to most of us because it's not just importance, but sequencing: info needed to dispatch an ambulance comes first, then info to help the caller do first aid, and only after that the seemingly crucial stuff like "what's actually making them sick".