The American journal of emergency medicine
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The telephone number 911 is designated for public use in requesting emergency assistance. It is thought to reduce response time by reducing the interval between the decision to call for assistance and the notification of an agency that can dispatch the appropriate services. The experience of the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. ⋯ Compliance (use of an appropriate emergency number for the first call) was demonstrated by 139 of 347 callers (40%) in the pre-911 phase, and 225 of 305 callers (74%) in the post-911 phase (P less than 0.001). Rapid activation of the EMS system was rarely achieved by calling a hospital or physician first. Overall, 911 was found to be a more efficient means of activating the EMS system.