Dispatching centres were fused into one of the 112 entity, which caused concerns regarding whether the medical calls could be processed effectively also in the new centre. We evaluated the effects of the reform on key performance criteria in medical calls.
This observational study in the Helsinki Dispatching Centre consisted of two periods: Period I 2 years before the reform and Period II 2 years after. The main outcome measures were answering and call processing times, accuracy of risk assessment and appropriate use of ambulances.
In Period I (n=574,276), 92.2% of all incoming phone calls were answered within 10 s and in Period II (n=758,022) 82.8% (P5 min and in Period II 29.8%, 36.1% and 34.1% (P