Background: Because mobile telephones may support video calls, emergency medical dispatchers may now connect visually with bystanders during pre‐hospital cardio‐pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We studied the quality of simulated dispatcher‐assisted CPR when guidance was delivered to rescuers by video calls or audio calls from mobile phones. Methods: One hundred and eighty high school students were randomly assigned in groups of three to communicate via video calls or audio calls with experienced nurse dispatchers at a Hospital Emergency Medical Dispatch Center. CPR was performed on a recording resuscitation manikin during simulated cardiac arrest. Quality of CPR and time factors were compared depending on the type of communication used. Results: The median CPR time without chest compression (‘hands‐off time’) was shorter in the video‐call group vs. the audio‐call group (303 vs. 331 s; P=0.048), but the median time to first compression was not shorter (104 vs. 102 s; P=0.29). The median time to first ventilation was insignificantly shorter in the video‐call group (176 vs. 205 s; P=0.16). This group also had a slightly higher proportion of ventiliations without error (0.11 vs. 0.06; P=0.30). Conclusion: Video communication is unlikely to improve telephone CPR (t‐CPR) significantly without proper training of dispatchers and when using dispatch protocols written for audio‐only calls. Improved dispatch procedures and training for handling video calls require further investigation.

This paper presents an ethnographically inspired interpretive case study of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system at Sankara Nethralaya hospital in India. It presents challenges related to the adoption of the system and methods and strategies that were utilized in order to overcome these challenges and help the system be adopted successfully. One of the more notable challenges at the hospital was a user base that included skeptical users, those lacking computing skills, and that had a history of rejecting designs. Despite these barriers the hospital was able to adopt the EMR system successfully. Notable issues related to the success of the system include the design strategy that was eventually used, and critical technical and social features of the system intended to support skeptical users and those lacking IT skills. The study contributes to overall understanding of the environment at large hospitals in developing countries as it relates to the adoption of EMR systems, and helps inform on methods that can be used to improve the adoption of EMR systems in similar contexts in both developed and developing countries.

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