CED CED Medical Dispatch Protocols 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does EMD stand for in the context of emergency dispatching?
- Emergency Medical Dispatch (Correct answer)
- Emergency Management Division
- Enhanced Medical Direction
- Emergency Monitoring Deployment
Correct answer: Emergency Medical Dispatch
EMD stands for Emergency Medical Dispatch, a system that enables dispatchers to provide life-safety instructions and prioritize medical responses.
Question 2: Which protocol system is most widely used in the US to standardize Emergency Medical Dispatch?
- MPDS (Medical Priority Dispatch System) (Correct answer)
- NIMS Medical Protocol
- FEMA EMS Grid
- APCO ProQA
Correct answer: MPDS (Medical Priority Dispatch System)
The Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), developed by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, is the most widely adopted standardized EMD protocol in the US.
Question 3: In EMD, what is the PRIMARY purpose of interrogation (key questioning) in a medical call?
- To determine call priority and guide the appropriate response (Correct answer)
- To gather billing information for the hospital
- To document the caller's personal history
- To assign a unit before gathering any information
Correct answer: To determine call priority and guide the appropriate response
Key questioning in EMD is used to determine the medical nature and severity of the incident so the dispatcher can assign the correct priority and response level.
Question 4: What does a 'Delta' priority level typically indicate in the MPDS coding system?
- Life-threatening situation requiring immediate response (Correct answer)
- Minor injury with no life threat
- Non-emergency referral call
- Caller hang-up with no confirmed emergency
Correct answer: Life-threatening situation requiring immediate response
Delta is the second-highest priority in MPDS, indicating a potentially life-threatening situation that requires an urgent emergency response.
Question 5: Which organization certifies Emergency Medical Dispatchers and maintains the MPDS in the United States?
- National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) (Correct answer)
- FEMA National Training Center
- American Heart Association
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Correct answer: National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED)
The National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) is the credentialing body responsible for EMD certification and maintaining the MPDS protocol.
Question 6: What is the first and most critical piece of information a dispatcher must obtain on any emergency call?
- The exact location or address of the emergency (Correct answer)
- The caller's name and date of birth
- The patient's insurance provider
- The nature of the emergency
Correct answer: The exact location or address of the emergency
Location is always the first priority so responders can be dispatched immediately, even if the call is disconnected before further information is gathered.
CED CED Medical Dispatch Protocols 1
What does EMD stand for in the context of emergency dispatching?