Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not yet recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07776990

Effectiveness of a Communication Training Program in Improving the Handling of Calls for Suspected Cardiac Arrest at SAMU-Centre 15.

Each year, France's emergency response services-the SAMU (15) and the fire department (18)-handle 31 million and 19 million calls, respectively. The effectiveness of this system depends on the call centers' ability to obtain location information, prioritize responses, assess the severity of each call, and dispatch appropriate emergency resources.

Cardiac arrest (CA) affects 40,000 people in France each year who call on this service. The survival rate decreases by 7 to 10% for every minute that elapses between cardiac arrest and the start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Early CPR performed by bystanders is associated with a survival rate 2-3 times higher than CPR initiated only after emergency responders arrive on the scene. CPR assisted by SAMU-Centre 15 dispatchers (T-CPR) is a way to provide CPR to patients before emergency responders arrive on the scene and is recommended as early as possible to improve survival. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, the timing of the initiation of the chain of survival is considered high quality if T-CPR is initiated within 90 seconds.

Studies show that recognizing a cardiac arrest (CA) over the phone is often difficult for several reasons, including communication challenges, the caller's stress, and the presence of abnormal breathing.

Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) receive very little training on communication strategies, particularly those needed to optimally manage stressed and sometimes difficult callers. Interventions to improve communication have proven effective among healthcare professionals. These methods included face-to-face training, blended learning programs, simulation-based teamwork exercises, and communication techniques adapted from aviation. Standardized scripting systems have been shown to improve the speed of decision-making and the dispatch of emergency response teams. These scripts depend on the quality of the information provided by the caller and the caller's ability to communicate effectively with the EMD.

The objective of this study will be to evaluate the effect of a communication training program for Centre-15 emergency medical dispatchers on calls for cardiac arrest.

Not yet recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Cardiac Arrest (CA) Cardiovascular Diseases Heart Arrest Heart Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

CH Annecy-Genevois, Annecy, France

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of presumed medical origin in an adult patient diagnosed during the phone call to the 15 emergency dispatch center

Non Inclusion Criteria:

  • Minor patients,
  • Calls initially handled by another emergency call center or a healthcare professional,
  • Calls regarding cardiac arrest for which CPR has already been initiated at the time the call is made to the 15 center,
  • Obvious or known pregnancy at the time of enrollment.
  • Persons protected under Articles L1121-6 and L1121-8 of the Public Health Code (CSP).

Treatment and study plan

Multifaceted intervention including 4 components

Other

a multifaceted initiative combining training for SAMU-Centre 15 emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) on the use of a standardized script, training on barriers to the early recognition of cardiac arrest, communication training to optimize the relationship with the caller, and training on handling difficult calls

Primary outcomes

  1. The effect of a multifaceted training intervention for SAMU-Centre 15 emergency medical technicians on the proportion of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of medical origin who receive early T-RCP within 90 seconds of the call being answered,

    Time frame: Baseline

    The p-roportion of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of medical origin for which T-RCP guidance is initiated within 90 seconds of the EMD answering the call will be calculated by the time to initiation of T-CPR (defined as the time elapsed between the SAMU-Centre 15 operator answering the call and the first time the operator verbally provides cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions to the caller) The criterion will be considered met when this time is 90 seconds or less.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Survival with good neurological outcome at 30 days

    Time frame: 30 days

    Favorable neurological outcome at 30 days : Neurological outcome will be assessed by a physician using:

    • the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale CPC 1 : Good Cerbral Performance -> CPC 5: Brain Death

  2. Survival with good neurological outcome at 30 days

    Time frame: 30 days

    Favorable neurological outcome at 30 days : Neurological outcome will be assessed by a physician using:

    • the modified Rankin scale Scores: 0: No Symptoms -> 5: Severe disability

  3. Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC)

    Time frame: perioperatively/periprocedurally (during the CPR)

    ROSC: defined by a clinical assessment of vital signs, including the presence of a palpable pulse or blood pressure

  4. The proportion of patients admitted alive, discharged alive from the hospital, and alive at 30 days

    Time frame: Day 0, day of discharge of the hospital and 30 days

    Survival at hospital admission, discharge, and at 30 days

  5. The initial heart rate recorded

    Time frame: Baseline

    The initial heart rhythm recorded by a physician based on an analysis of the first heart rhythm recorded after the arrival of emergency medical personnel

  6. Proportion of recognized cardiac arrests

    Time frame: Baseline

    Percentage of calls for suspected cardiac arrest (CA) out of the total number of calls received for confirmed cardiac arrest (upon the arrival of emergency responders at the scene).

  7. Proportion of CAs recognized in calls for recognizable CAs

    Time frame: Baseline

    Percentage of calls for CAs identified relative to the number of calls received for identifiable CAs

  8. Proportion of CA calls receiving CPR guidance,

    Time frame: Baseline

    Percentage of calls receiving advice from T-RCP

  9. Proportion of CA calls in which the caller agrees to begin CPR for all CAs

    Time frame: Baseline

    Percentage of calls for CAs where the caller agrees to begin CPR for all CAs

  10. Time to recognize a cardiac arrest

    Time frame: Baseline

    Timeframe for the EMS to recognize the CA.

  11. Time to obtain location information

    Time frame: Baseline

    Time between answering the call and obtaining precise location information

  12. Percentage of cardiac arrests recognized within 60 seconds

    Time frame: Baseline

    Percentage of calls for CA recognized in less than 60 seconds, based on "recognizable" calls

  13. Percentage of cardiac arrests recognized within 90 seconds

    Time frame: Baseline

    Percentage of calls for CA recognized in less than 90 seconds, based on "recognizable" calls

  14. Time to begin CPR instructions

    Time frame: Baseline

    Timeframe for Initiating CPR instructions

  15. Percentage of calls where CPR instructions begin within 150 seconds

    Time frame: Baseline

    The proportion of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of medical origin for which T-RCP guidance is initiated within 150 seconds of the EMD answering the call is defined by the time to initiation of T-CPR

  16. Quality of communication by the EMD

    Time frame: Immediately after the procedure

    Call quality between the EMD and the caller: The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the recommendations published by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) [85], which include guidelines for conducting interviews with callers and communication protocols. An assessment of compliance with the decision-making algorithms will also be included. The evaluation will be carried out by experts during a blinded review of the trial period.

  17. Impact on service quality

    Time frame: Day of inclusion

    Impact analysis on Center 15 by evaluating the QS30

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Guillaume Debaty, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+334767634202

Juliette Meyzenc

CONTACT

[email protected]

+33476634256

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Grenoble

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of a Communication Training Program in Improving the Handling of Calls for Suspected Cardiac Arrest at SAMU-Centre 15. A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Stepped-Wedge Implementation Trial

Acronym: COM-ARM

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Aug 20, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.