Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems, Health CareCALL_SAMUNCT04670835
Modeling the Impact of Inbound Call Distribution Virtualization in Emergency Medical Communication Centers (EMCCs) on Their Service Level
An observational study of Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems, Health Care, run by Nantes University Hospital at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
Fast access to the Emergency Medical Communication Center (EMCC) is essential for the population in emergency situation. It is therefore essential that these call centers operate quickly and provide good quality service. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems, Health Care
- How many people
- 1,088,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 15 Apr 2021to 28 Feb 2022
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: All Users calling through the five Emergency Medical Centers of the French Pays de la Loire region (5 areas of the region are : Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Vendée). In each Emergency Medical Center, an advanced telephone system automatically keeps track of all inbound calls. Average annual number of incoming calls for the 5 Emergency Medical Center of Pays de la Loire region is 1,6 million.
Who may be able to join
- All incoming calls passing through the five Emergency Medical Centers in the Pays de la Loire region (Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe and Vendée). In each center, an advanced telephone system automatically keeps track of all inbound calls.
Who cannot join
- According to the French national consortium, incoming calls that hung up in less than 10 seconds are considered as dialing errors and are excluded
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Fast access to the Emergency Medical Communication Center (EMCC) is essential for the population in emergency situation. It is therefore essential that these call centers operate quickly and provide good quality service. However, in recent years, EMCCs have experienced a constant and increasing demand from the population. Thus, maintaining the current organization of emergency medical communication centers raises questions about both the volume of incoming calls to EMCCs and the economic constraints, which make it difficult to manage call peaks, especially in periods of crisis.
The aim of our study is to assess the impact of incoming call distribution virtualization in EMCCs on their service quality.
Read the detailed description
France is facing political decisions on the evolution of Emergency Medical Communication Center organization to improve population accessibility. Regarding the performance targets requested by the French government (MARCUS report: http://www.urgences113.fr/marcus/Rapport_MARCUS3.pdf), the virtualization of inbound call distribution could improve EMCC service quality indicators.
The Virtualization is a process that consists of centralizing calls from different territories before distributing them to the centers concerned according to their availability. The objective through this process is to improve the population' access to the EMCC by reducing waits time. And on the other hand, to optimize the activity rate of dispatchers and physicians.
- Keywords
- Emergency health service, Accessibility, Virtualization, organization
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Case Group (unic) | 1. Group/Cohort Label : Users of Emergency Call Centers Users of French territory 'Region Pays de la Loire' 2. Group/Cohort Description: All Users calling through the five Emergency Medical Centers of the French Pays de la Loire region (5 areas of the region are : Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Vendée). In each Emergency Medical Center, an advanced telephone system automatically keeps track of all inbound calls. Average annual number of incoming calls for the 5 Emergency Medical Center of Pays de la Loire region is 1,6 million. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Operational level of service, defined by the quality of service at 20 s (QS20). It corresponds to the rate of answered calls within 20 s
This indicator is one of the most frequently used internationally to measure the performance of emergency call centers
Measured: 20 seconds
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Dec 2020
- Study start15 Apr 2021
- Primary completion28 Feb 2022
- Study completion28 Feb 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems, Health CareStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Nantes University HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 1,088,000 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Nantes University Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- IMT Mines Albi - France (https://www.imt-mines-albi.fr/)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Yann Penverne, MD, Principal investigator, Nantes University Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04670835
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RC20_0064
- Acronym
- CALL_SAMU
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Dec 2020
- Last updated
- 24 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Modeling the Impact of Inbound Call Distribution Virtualization in Emergency Medical Communication Centers (EMCCs) on Their Service Level
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04670835
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CALL_SAMU / RC20_0064
- Keywords
- Emergency health service, Accessibility, Virtualization, organization
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,088,000 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Nantes University HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- IMT Mines Albi - France (https://www.imt-mines-albi.fr/)
- Study start
- 15 Apr 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Feb 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 28 Feb 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 17 Dec 2020 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Fast access to the Emergency Medical Communication Center (EMCC) is essential for the population in emergency situation. It is therefore essential that these call centers operate quickly and provide good quality service. However, in recent years, EMCCs have experienced a constant and increasing demand from the population. Thus, maintaining the current organization of emergency medical communication centers raises questions about both the volume of incoming calls to EMCCs and the economic constraints, which make it difficult to manage call peaks, especially in periods of crisis.
The aim of our study is to assess the impact of incoming call distribution virtualization in EMCCs on their service quality.
Detailed description
France is facing political decisions on the evolution of Emergency Medical Communication Center organization to improve population accessibility. Regarding the performance targets requested by the French government (MARCUS report: http://www.urgences113.fr/marcus/Rapport_MARCUS3.pdf), the virtualization of inbound call distribution could improve EMCC service quality indicators.
The Virtualization is a process that consists of centralizing calls from different territories before distributing them to the centers concerned according to their availability. The objective through this process is to improve the population' access to the EMCC by reducing waits time. And on the other hand, to optimize the activity rate of dispatchers and physicians.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Case Group (unic) | – | –1. Group/Cohort Label : Users of Emergency Call Centers Users of French territory 'Region Pays de la Loire' 2. Group/Cohort Description: All Users calling through the five Emergency Medical Centers of the French Pays de la Loire region (5 areas of the region are : Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Vendée). In each Emergency Medical Center, an advanced telephone system automatically keeps track of all inbound calls. Average annual number of incoming calls for the 5 Emergency Medical Center of Pays de la Loire region is 1,6 million. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- All Users calling through the five Emergency Medical Centers of the French Pays de la Loire region (5 areas of the region are : Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Vendée). In each Emergency Medical Center, an advanced telephone system automatically keeps track of all inbound calls. Average annual number of incoming calls for the 5 Emergency Medical Center of Pays de la Loire region is 1,6 million.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- All incoming calls passing through the five Emergency Medical Centers in the Pays de la Loire region (Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe and Vendée). In each center, an advanced telephone system automatically keeps track of all inbound calls.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- According to the French national consortium, incoming calls that hung up in less than 10 seconds are considered as dialing errors and are excluded
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Operational level of service, defined by the quality of service at 20 s (QS20). It corresponds to the rate of answered calls within 20 s
Time frame: 20 seconds
This indicator is one of the most frequently used internationally to measure the performance of emergency call centers
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Jun 2026.
- Presentation of the study context; description of the protocol and his main objectives. Presentation of the teamLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Yann Penverne, MD principal investigator
Nantes University Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems, Health Care, run by Nantes University Hospital at 1 site in France.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Operational level of service, defined by the quality of service at 20 s (QS20). It corresponds to the rate of answered calls within 20 s (time frame: 20 seconds). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jun 2026.