The transcript makes the article ridiculous. This issue had nothing to do with the trivial choice of words that the article talks about. The nurse was 100% wrong.
She asked to speak to the person who couldn't breathe!
She asked to speak to the person who couldn't breathe!
incoherent - (of spoken or written language) expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way; unclear.
Only person here that is incoherent is son. "having difficulty breathing" means breathing but with difficulties. "incoherent" means talking but words does not make sense.
I'm a paramedic, not a calltaker, but if someone is described as "having difficulty breathing" and "incoherent", that warrants an EMS response. Start the rig and ask any other questions you have after that.
What about panic attack? It can be described as shortness of breath (difficulty breathing) and sense of terror, impending death, loss of control (being incoherent). It's not life-threatening and does not warrant EMS response.