title: The effect of work shift configurations on emergency medical dispatch center response.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been proved that emergency medical dispatch centers (EMDC) save lives by promoting an appropriate allocation of emergency medical service resources. Indeed, optimal dispatcher call duration is pivotal to reduce the time gap between the time a call is placed and the delivery of medical care. However, little is known about the impact of work shift configurations (i.e., work shift duration and work shift rotation throughout the day) and dispatcher call duration. Thus, the objective of our study was to assess the effect of work shift configurations on dispatcher call duration.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a 1-year study period, we analyzed the dispatcher call durations for medical and trauma calls during the 4 different work shift rotations (day, morning, evening, and night) and during the 10-hour work shift of each dispatcher in the EMDC of Nantes. We extracted dispatcher call durations from our advanced telephone system, configured with CC Pulse + (Genesys, Alcatel Lucent), and collected them in a custom designed database (Excel, Microsoft). Afterward, we analyzed these data using linear mixed effects models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, our EMDC received 408,077 calls. Globally, the mean dispatcher call duration was 107 ± 45 seconds. Based on multivariate linear mixed effects models, the dispatcher call duration was affected by night work shift and work shift duration greater than 8 hours, increasing it by about 10 ± 1 seconds and 4 ± 1 seconds, respectively (both p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that there was a statistically significant difference in dispatcher call duration over work shift rotation and duration, with longer durations seen over night shifts and shifts over 8 hours. While these differences are small and may not have clinical significance, they may have implications for EMDC efficiency.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montassier
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Labady
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andre
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Potel
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berthier
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jenvrin
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Penverne
mesh_terms: D004631:Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D060731:Emergency Responders; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload
keywords: dispatcher call duration; emergency medical dispatch center; prehospital care; work shift duration, work shift rotation