Background and Goal of Study: Little is known about pediatric emergency contacts made to Danish Emergency Medical Dispatch Centers (EMDCs). Thus, this study aimed to collect epidemiological and emergency response data on pediatric contacts.

Materials and Methods: In this retrospective, descriptive study, data was extracted from the EMDC in the region of Southern Denmark - an area covering approx. 1.200.000 inhabitants. Audio recordings of all emergency calls made in February 2016 were collected from the EMDC's records. Calls concerning pediatric patients (age ≤ 15 years) were analyzed to establish epidemiological data and the emergency response, as well as the medical classification code (the “Danish Index-code”) assigned by the medically trained EMDC-respondents. The Danish Index is the medical classification system used in Danish EMDCs. It consists of 32 categories (e.g. convulsions), each with multiple specific codes (e.g. fever and convulsions or epilepsy and convulsions). Permission to access the data was granted by The Danish Data Protection Agency. Case number: 16/8773.

Results and Discussion: The EMDC received a total of 7052 emergency calls in February 2016. Approx. 7.0% (n = 490) concerned pediatric patients, 24 of these being re-dials. Thus, 466 individual pediatric contacts were analyzed. 
The most frequent Danish Index-categories assigned to the contacts were “convulsions” (21.9%) and “sick child” (19.1%). In the “convulsions” category, the most frequent code was “febrile convulsions for the first time” (49.0%). In the “sick child” category, the most frequent code was “breathing difficulties and seems exhausted” (31.4%). The most common emergency response was level A (immediate dispatch of an ambulance with sirens and lights on) with additional emergency physician support (56.2%). Level A without emergency physician support accounted for 13.5% of the contacts and level B (immediate dispatch of an ambulance, but with sirens and lights off) also accounted for 13.5%. In 13.3% of the cases no response was sent or the call was diverted to another authority (e.g. the patient's primary care physician).

Conclusion: Pediatric calls accounted for almost 7% of the EMDC's contacts. The children were typically categorized as being critically ill, often with convulsions or breathing difficulties, and assigned a level A-response. In most cases, additional support from an emergency physician was also sent.

Pediatric Contacts to a Danish Emergency Medical Dispatch Center: what can we learn about pediatric emergencies?