The method, developed in a pilot project with SOS Alarm, has now become permanent and is attracting interest from other regions. Frequent callers are often people with a combination of mental illness, physical symptoms, and social problems, according to Annika Åström Victorén, an ambulance physician in the region. Before the pilot, a mapping of ten patients with very frequent 112 contacts showed that over five months they called SOS Alarm approximately 2,400 times, corresponding to about 101 hours of call time. Those calls led to 425 care assignments and 152 ambulance dispatches, with recurring police and rescue services also involved.
Carola Söderberg, a care developer at SOS Alarm, noted that the structured care interview process and dispatching an ambulance can increase patient anxiety. The solution involved creating individual care plans for patients with recurring emergency calls, which are entered directly into SOS Alarm's system. "This is work that is based on the patient's needs, but also makes the emergency care resources used more efficiently," Åström Victorén said. The new method provides patients with better support and clearer contact paths into healthcare.