Our latest development towards patient care
Two PCs in every frontline vehicle to benefit crews and patients
The Scottish Ambulance Service are planning to add networked PCs into its 1,000 frontline emergency vehicles.
The multi-million pound
project will cut response times, streamline casualty admission and provide
valuable clinical data.
All our emergency vehicles will have two computers installed in them.
A PC in the cab will be
linked to our control centre and will receive incident details such as the
address, the patient's condition, and route navigation.
A system in the back of the ambulance will allow paramedics and technicians to
electronically input information currently filled in on paper patient reports.
The data, including patient details, treatment and vital sign observations, can
be sent ahead to the receiving casualty department.
The system will benefit patients, ambulance crews and hospitals, says the
Scottish Ambulance Services IT manager.
Ambulance crews will receive more information so they can be better prepared,
and the route navigation capability will improve response times,'
He said
the onboard systems will provide crews with access to up-to-date clinical
databases, and treatment information can be used to analyse staff efficiency.
Initially, vehicles will connect to the network via on-board GPRS modems that
are already used for location tracking. In the longer term, the Scottish
Ambulance Service will also upgrade its radio system to cope with the traffic;
it will also give us a direct link to other Emergency Services such as the
Police and the Fire Service.
The service is
moving towards more strategic deployment of vehicles, so rather than waiting at
the station, ambulances are more likely to wait in high risk areas based on
predictive analysis systems.
These systems will let crews make
the most of their time and cut down on response times to outlying areas.
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Paramedics across all of Scotland will be trained and equipped to administer life saving clot-busting drugs to heart attack patients by April 2005. The procedure, called thrombolysis, has been performed recently in Edinburgh and the Lothians and is being rolled out to the rest of the country over the coming months.
Successful implementation in Angus and Grampian has shown that the procedure will save many more cardiac lives in Scotland by reducing the “call to needle time” for life saving clot-busting drugs. Paramedics will carry 12 lead ECGs that will provide them with the information to make a diagnosis and administer the drug. The readings can also be transmitted to hospital should they feel that a consultation is necessary. Previously, the patient would have to wait until arrival at hospital for the drug and clinical evidence shows that the quicker the drug is administered, the greater the chance of survival. Patients who receive the drug within an hour of the first onset of symptoms have a 48% greater chance of survival.
Adrian Lucas, Chief
Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service said:
“This initiative will save many more lives in Scotland
and puts the Scottish Ambulance Service at the forefront
of clinical development and paramedic training in the
UK. The evidence from the pilot programmes that we
conducted in Angus and Grampian bears out the premise
that every minute saved in “call to needle time” is
potentially life saving.
“The role of the paramedic in modern medicine is developing rapidly to that of a highly trained clinician with a broad range of skills to diagnose and treats patients with life saving procedures and drugs. Initiatives like this are bringing the services that have traditionally been delivered in hospital, closer to the patient at home in the community.”
The thrombolysis programme was dependent on the introduction earlier this year in state of the art replacement defibrillators on every ambulance in Scotland. These devices incorporate 12 lead ECG recorders that provide instant readings about the patient’s condition and have the ability to transmit the information on to hospital if necessary.
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22/03/2006
Ambulance service all at sea!
In the first such initiative in Scotland which has been actively encouraged by
the Scottish Ambulance Service, around 60 Fife based ambulance staff applied to
take part in a joint training session with RNLI Kinghorn lifeboat volunteers.
RNLI's training officer at Kinghorn, Liz Davidson says: 'The benefits to
everyone from this type of joint service training are clear, we receive many
rescue calls every year which are designated as 'medevacs' (medical evacuation).
Each one is different, but all require prompt medical care. Although our
volunteer crews are trained in first aid, they are of course, no substitute for
the professionalism of the Scottish Ambulance Service Paramedics.
'Most calls received, relate to injuries sustained on vessels at sea, but we
also receive calls relating to walkers along the shoreline/coastal walks who
have become injured, but are inaccessible to land based emergency crews. The
RNLI proactively seeks to train with other emergency agencies to ensure that
casualties receive the best possible care during an emergency response,
providing a prompt initial level of medical care along the coastline around the
Forth Estuary.'
Tom Robertson, Area Service Manager for Scottish Ambulance Service Fife, said:
'This type of training has been long overdue, we are not a service which is used
to standing by where casualties are concerned. We know the importance of
immediate paramedic assistance and now with this joint training initiative with
the RNLI, we are placing ourselves back in the forefront of being able to
provide initial medical care for casualties on and around the sea, whilst
keeping our own staff safe thanks to the professionalism of the volunteers on
the RNLI lifeboat at Kinghorn and the high level of training they receive and
have passed on to my staff.'
The training will take place over 6 weekends, to enable everyone who has applied
to benefit from the course.
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