# Chain of Call: Learning How to Effectively Communicate with Emergency Medical Services at School

## TL;DR

A school-based training program helps children learn how to call emergency services during cardiac arrests, with most successfully recognizing emergencies and dialing the right number.

## Contribution

An interactive, age-tailored training method using a didactic tool improves schoolchildren's ability to perform emergency calls.

## Key findings

- More than 90% of children recognized emergencies and correctly dialed the national emergency number.
- Less than 50% could activate the hands-free function, with younger children facing more difficulty.
- 99% provided their full name, and 82% gave their complete address during the simulated call.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
The use of didactic materials specifically developed by the research team is effective in helping schoolchildren acquire emergency call skills.A sequential learning approach allows the training to be tailored to the cognitive development and learning capacity of different age groups.

The use of didactic materials specifically developed by the research team is effective in helping schoolchildren acquire emergency call skills.

A sequential learning approach allows the training to be tailored to the cognitive development and learning capacity of different age groups.

What is the implication of the main finding?
This methodology enables schoolchildren to recognise emergency situations and initiate an EMS call, although some challenges remain in activating the hands-free function.These findings support the development of evidence-based recommendations for basic life support training in school settings.

This methodology enables schoolchildren to recognise emergency situations and initiate an EMS call, although some challenges remain in activating the hands-free function.

These findings support the development of evidence-based recommendations for basic life support training in school settings.

Background/Objectives: More than half of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home and are witnessed by family members, who must promptly call the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The aim of this study was to assess the learning outcomes of an interactive school-based training activity focused specifically on the EMS call. Methods: A single-group, post-test-only simulation study was conducted in five Spanish schools. Participating schoolchildren received basic life support (BLS) training from their Physical Education teachers, integrated into the regular school schedule and following the Kids Save Lives recommendations. An innovative didactic resource (the “BLS Endless Book”) was used to support active learning. Children’s performance was evaluated in a simulated scenario using a standardized checklist. Results: A total of 1341 children aged 6 to 14 years participated. In the simulated scenario, more than 90% of participants were able to recognize the emergency and correctly identified and dialed the national emergency number. However, less than 50% were able to activate the hands-free function (with younger children experiencing more difficulty). During the call, 99.0% stated their full name, and 82.0% provided their complete address. Conclusions: A short, focused BLS training led at school by physical education teachers and based on an interactive, easy-to-use, didactic tool is effective in educating 6–14-year-old schoolchildren to correctly perform an immediate EMS call in case of cardiac arrest. Nevertheless, schoolchildren may require reinforcement training focused on hands-free operation and on providing the correct address.