The work at an Emergency Call Centre: Comparison between the Operator Perspective and a Communication Model

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify important aspects of the work at an emergency call centre during large-scale incidents, according to the operators who work there. As communication has been regarded as an important factor in complex situation, this study will also investigate to what extent the work at the call centre can be understood as communication. To determine this, semi-structured interviews have been conducted, asking 14 operators about their work at the emergency call centre. The recorded interviews were transcribed, unitized and coded on a content model and a tool for communication, ISBAR. The content model was developed on the basis of a bottom-up thematic analysis, and consists of 12 sub-themes arranged into six themes. The content model accounted for 93.6% of the total amount of statements, and the remaining 6.4% were irrelevant statements for the work at the call centre during large-scale incidents. Hence, this may imply that the content model still present all the important aspects of the work at the emergency call centre during large-scale incidents according to the operators who work there. ISBAR tool of communication account for 10% of the total amount of statements, which imply that the work at the emergency call centre is complex and consist of several factors in addition to communication. This implies that the work at the call centre during large-scale incidents is more complex than just dealing with communication. This study contributes to understand the work at emergency call centre during large-scale incidents, and elaborate the complexity of this work.