Title: Explain the functions of the emergency medical dispatcher (EMD).
Course: Emergency Medical Telecommunications (14055-V) > Section: Introducing Emergency Medical Dispatcher Roles and Responsibilities

Explanation should include

- receipt and processing of calls for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assistance
- determination of the nature and severity of the medical incident type without diagnosing the medical problem or condition
- responsibility for coordinating and dispatching EMS resources, based on the predetermined response configurations found in the local medically approved EMD Guidecards
- provision of pre-arrival emergency medical assistance using local medically approved EMD Guidecards and software.

Note: EMS systems vary by locale. Your system may be very different from the EMS in the next county, city, or suburb. It is the responsibility of the EMD to fully understand the EMS system in which he or she works.

1. Where: Location of the patient
2. What: Nature of the medical emergency
3. Who: To whom it happened
4. How: How it occurred
5. When: When it occurred

Process/Skill Questions:

- Why is an EMD an essential part of the EMS system?
- What are some of the most common myths about EMDs? Why are they incorrect?