Calling 115: what to say first and how to help while waiting

Put the location at the start

Begin with a request for medical emergency help, then give the province or city, address, building name if relevant and the patient's location. A street number may be insufficient when the entrance is elsewhere or an alley blocks vehicle access. Add the floor, apartment, recognizable landmark and access obstacle. Do not assume the call automatically transmits an exact usable location.

A card by the door can hold the Vietnamese address, entrance information and a household callback number. An English- or Korean-speaking reader can practise: Tôi cần cấp cứu y tế. Xin nghe địa chỉ của tôi trước. This means: I need medical emergency help. Please take my address first. Then read the prepared address. It is an editorial prompt, not an official dispatch form.

Describe what you see, not a diagnosis

Next describe how many people need help, approximate age, what happened, and whether the patient responds and breathes normally. Mention pregnancy, recent childbirth or a young child. Do not collect a complete set of measurements before calling. Even without an exact age or diagnosis, you can describe no response to voice, severe breathing difficulty or heavy bleeding.

For example, if a pregnant person has heavy bleeding and collapses, lead with pregnancy, heavy bleeding and current responsiveness, not the entire antenatal history. Allergies, medicines and previous conditions matter, but can follow when requested. This order prevents immediately useful observations from being buried beneath details that a distressed family is struggling to reconstruct.

If several people are affected, report the number you know and what you can observe without assuming equal severity. Mention electrical, smoke, traffic or other hazards, and do not enter an unsafe area to gather more details. Incomplete information can still be useful. If others are contacting help, identify who is beside the patient and can report the current condition directly rather than relaying it through a chain.

Keep the call usable even when you are frightened

Use speakerphone when your hands are needed, and have someone beside the patient answer questions about the current condition. If you cannot hear, ask for slower repetition; if you do not understand, say so. Do not report an instruction completed when it was not. Give a callback number; if disconnected, call again and explain that the emergency has already been reported.

If Vietnamese is limited, enlist a Vietnamese-speaking adult when available, but do not wait for a perfect interpreter before calling. You can say Tôi nói tiếng Việt chưa tốt, meaning my Vietnamese is limited, and read the prepared address. Do not assume English or Korean interpretation is always available. Children should not automatically carry the burden of interpreting an overwhelming medical event.

While waiting, prioritize the patient over belongings

For an unresponsive person who is not breathing normally, begin CPR immediately and follow instructions. Occasional gasps are not normal breathing. State the person's age because child and adult resuscitation are not identical. If another helper is available, that person can retrieve a nearby automated external defibrillator; the person providing immediate care should not abandon the patient to search for one.

Another helper can unlock the entrance, clear the route, secure pets and meet responders. Retrieve documents, medicines or phones only if that does not interrupt care. If an injury followed a fall or collision, do not drag or carry the patient downstairs merely to wait in the lobby. Explain the scene and obtain guidance on movement when necessary.

If access is difficult or help has not arrived

Pre-hospital capacity and access vary by location; this article cannot promise an arrival time. Report deterioration or an address problem immediately. If the call will not connect, retry and have another person contact the nearest emergency department or local medical service for practical help. Do not wait silently when you have not established that your request was received.

A private vehicle is not equivalent to medically supported ambulance transport. If alternatives must be considered, ask medical staff about the safest feasible option for the condition and resources available. An unconscious or severely breathless person should not be placed on a motorcycle merely because it is available. The patient should not drive; being able to sit in a vehicle does not establish stability.

Rehearse the conversation, not a test call

On an ordinary day, show each other the address card, keys and essential records. One person can play dispatcher while another reads the address and describes an explicitly imaginary emergency; do not call 115 to practise. Notice whether the street, floor and entrance are understandable. In homes with children, agree who will supervise them if another adult needs to help the patient.

Hands-on first-aid training relevant to your household's ages is more useful than memorizing an article. When responders arrive, explain what happened, recent changes and actions taken, including uncertainties. You do not need to prove that every action was perfect. An honest handover helps the arriving team continue from the actual situation rather than an idealized account.

At a hotel or holiday stay, replace the home address plan with the current location, vehicle entrance and person who can provide access. A map pin may help the family orient itself but does not replace telling dispatch where you are. After a real event and once care is established, discuss what made communication difficult and what to prepare differently. Do not turn that conversation into scoring a frightened person's mistakes.