This study aims to characterize the communication process among nursing assistants who work in vehicles of the Basic Life Support of the Mobile Emergency Service, in the coordination of this service, and in the Unified Medical Regulation Service in a city of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. This descriptive and qualitative research used the thematic content analysis for data analysis. Semi-structured interviews were used for the data collection, which was held in January, 2010. Results show difficulties in communication with both the Medical Regulation Service and the coordination. Among the most highlighted aspects are failures during the radio transmission, lack of qualified radio operators, difficult access to the coordination and lack of supervision by nurses. However, it was possible to detect solutions that aim to improve the communication and, consequently, the service offered by the Mobile Emergency Service.
Emergency medical services; Emergency medical service communication systems; Emergency nursing