Background: Activating the emergency medical services (EMS) system in case of medical emergencies must be quick and precise. This study was designed to measure public awareness of Riyadh's EMS phone number.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. It identifies major public hubs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the target locations. It was conducted from September 1st 2019 to December 31st 2019. A semi-structured survey was developed and distributed in person using convenience sampling to measure public awareness of EMS phone number. Ethical approval was obtained to include both adult and youth populations.
Results: A total of 4,806 participants agreed to complete the survey, 2,690 (56%) were male and 2,116 (44%) were female. The majority of participants ,(3,986, 82.9%) were adults above the age of 18, while 820 (17.1%) were minors under the age of 18. In terms of education, 3,320 (69%) participants had completed college-level or higher. Saudi citizens totaled 4,460 (92.8%). Participants who claimed that they knew the EMS phone number was 3,519 (73.2%). However, only 1,854 (38.5%) recalled the EMS phone number correctly.
Conclusion: The study results show a lack of public awareness of the local EMS phone number, as only 38.5% of the general public were able to recall the EMS phone number. Therefore, it is highly recommended that a major public campaign geared toward increasing public awareness of the EMS phone number is organized.
Key words: Emergency medical service communication systems, patient transfers, ambulances, emergency medical technicians.
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