9-1-1 - RAPID IDENTIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION - NATIONAL HEART-ATTACK ALERT PROGRAM COORDINATING COMMITTEE ACCESS TO CARE SUBCOMMITTEE

The sooner a person who is experiencing symptoms and signs of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest ) receives medical treatment, the greater his or her chances of surviv al and limitation of infarct size. A universal 9-1-1 emergency telepho ne system makes it possible for AMI patients or those around them to e asily and quickly call for help and for emergency medical services (EM S) personnel to rapidly and accurately locate the patient. This articl e by the Access to Care Subcommittee of the National Heart Attack Aler t Program (NHAAP) Coordinating Committee describes the history of 9-1- 1, ifs key elements, its current implementation status, and existing S tate legislation and standards. Currently, approximately 78% of the Un ited States population, mainly in urban areas, has access to a 9-1-1 s ystem. Approximately 195 United States cities with a population of gre ater than 100,000 people have access to enhanced 9-1-1. It is the cont ention of the NHAAP that 9-1-1 services should be universally availabl e to all Americans to ensure seamless access to EMS and, potentially, early detection, evaluation, and treatment for AMI. This article repor ts several key recommendations for achieving this goal. ((C) 1995 by W .B. Saunders Company)