Presentation during session on: Running a non-emergency number in parallel with an emergency number

1. Adding and running a „non emergency number“
• Lower Austria (=Niederösterreich) is one of nine austrian federal
states.
• Since 2003 Notruf Niederösterreich is running a combined (medical)
service communication center (four PSAPs in one system).

2. Challenges / Problems
• variety of possibilities for a patient
• crowded hospital emergency departments
• no safe way to decline “ambulance requests“ on 144

3. Since 2017... : 1450
• joint effort on national level
• 1450 as:
• public health counseling
• secondary triage for emergency calls
• low acuity medical problem helpline
• part of a large reform of the austrian health system

4. New model in Austria
• medical counseling via phone
• non visual medical triage
• registered nurses & clinical triage software
• Emergency Communication Nurse System (IAED)
• Objective: navigate patients to required resource

5. Ongoing campaign

6. ECNS
144
EMD CCA
141
1450
1484x,
0800-xx

7. Impact
recent quarter Jan. –March 2019
n= 1978 (post 144 triage)

8. Lessons learned
• „Door opening“ effect:
YES, it is possible to direct patients to more appropriate resources
Limitation: alternative resources have to be in place (locally)
• ECNS Nurses provide great customer service (avg. call duration ~14 min).
• Patient safety is ensured.
• Combined system is a major advantage (parallel operation in one PSAP system).
• big potential for further (future) developments

9. e-mail: rene.kerschbaumer@notrufnoe.at