IT Technology in Emergency Medical Services - Research Paper Example

IT Technology in Emergency Medical Services Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel depend on many different forms of equipment to offer effectiveand timely treatment to patients needing emergency care. The equipment ranges from medical devices such as heart monitors and defibrillators, to communications equipment that permits transmission of patient information between the hospital and the ambulance (or first responders in case of an important disaster event) to basic transport vehicles such as helicopters and ambulances. In addition, patients depend on effective communication systems that facilitate them to call for assistance when required and make sure that care is on the way (National Research Council, 2007, p. 149). EMS relies on various devices and technologies, the majority of which have been in service for many years. There are many new technologies being added to the list of the existing technologies. Although it is not probable that the EMS system will utilize all the available communication instruments and tools, it is crucial for the EMS medical director to have technical knowhow of the communication modes and devices available. When decisions concerning procedures or new communication equipment are to be made, a well-informed medical director can affect the decisions in a positive manner (Brennan & Krohmer, 2005, p. 107). Over time, technological advancements have resulted in enhancements in the delivery of emergency medical services. Automatic crash notification (ACN) technology facilitates instant notification of emergency responders when a car crash has happened. Devices offer audible and instant warnings to ambulance if their driving is unsafe or reckless. There are systems under development, which will permit prehospital EMS personnel in the scene or the field to see the complete health record of the patient and possibly replace paper-based ambulance records with electronic data submission (National Research Council, 2007, p. 149). Cell Phone Location Technology Cell phone location technology is accessible but not used widely. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) issued guidelines necessitating wireless communications manufacturers and carriers to integrate location technology into their systems and products in two phases; the main objective was to assist E911 centers. In the first phase of the development, carriers are needed to offer a way for PSAPs (public safety answering points) to restrict a call from the cell phone to an area covered by a particular cell tower. This will permit the call to be automatically routed to the correct PSAP, and restrict the caller’s position to a single cell within the phone system (Brennan & Krohmer, 2005, p. 114). The second phase of the wireless E911 programs necessitates that PSAPs obtain both identification data for the registered holder of the cellular telephone and longitude/latitude information that will identify the caller’s location within 400 feet. This is defined as automatic location identification (ALI). Efforts to achieve this have been hindered by many financial, political, and technical issues. Recently, new FCC limits have been established by which cellular telephone systems should to function completely as part of the E911 system (Brennan & Krohmer, 2005, p. 114). Initially, it was thought that the technologies necessary to permit cellular telephones to function with E911 systems that are carrier based were situated at switching locations and central reception. Quick developments in the technologies utilized in individual cellular telephones have made it appropriate for the necessary improvement to be developed into the handsets themselves. To permit more time for manufacturers to make perfect these technologies and start tooling up for production, FCC has reduced the deadline for implementation of the wireless E911 systems (Brennan & Krohmer, 2005, p. 114). Next-Generation 911 The 911 system presently in place was not developed to handle the challenges of multimedia communications, for instance, in this wireless and mobile society (National Research Council, 2007, p. 154). The 911 system is based on the 1970 technology and it generally focused on the wire line phones. To close this gap, the Department of Transportation is financing an initiative that would integrate the basic 911 infrastructure into the 21st century communications technology. The next-generation 911 initiative, which is funded by the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and controlled by NHTSA’s (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) Office of EMS, will institute a 911 system that serves as the basis for public emergency services within a wireless environment and a system that is compatible with the communication devices (National Research Council, 2007, p. 155). A research initiative is being managed by the NHTSA’s Office of EMS that will generate high-level system architecture and distribution plan for the next-generation 911 system. The aim of the initiative is to institute the infrastructure for the transmission of photographs, data, and voice from various communication devices to PSAPs, and then to the emergency responder networks. The future 911 systems or the next-generation 911 systems have the features that make them compatible with the 21st century communication devices. The next-generation has features such as video, text, and voice services from many forms of communication devices, advanced data capabilities, long distance backup, access and transfer, and location specific emergency alerts or signals possible for all the networked devices (National Research Council, 2007, p. 155). Technology in Education Technology plays two significant roles in EMS education. Firstly, it helps the instructor in generating instructional aids and course materials. For many years, teachers wrote on the blackboards with chalk; presently, the process looks archaic. The availability of color laser printers, multimedia production programs, computer projection, streaming video, scanners, and word-processing programs permits the instructors to make audiovisual productions that would have needed a graphics studio a decade ago. The integration of computer-generated audiovisual with the Internet has brought endless possibilities. Students regard instructors who fail to utilize the latest technology as inferior regardless of the quality of knowledge offered (Krumperman, Walz, & Zigmont, 2010, p. 86). Secondly, the function of technology is within the area of skills instruction. The majority of methods utilized in EMS are invasive, for instance, those that require insertion of a cannula or a needle into the body. It is not generally ethical or practical to have students perform the skills on patients who do not possess clear medical need or on one another. It is not possible to present every form of pathology or patient to a student. The alternative method is simulation. Simulation has been in use in EMS and medical education for several years (Krumperman, Walz, & Zigmont, 2010, p. 87). The development of CPR manikin in 1960 by Asmund S. Laerdal opened doors for the use of simulation for medical practice purposes. Mr. Laerdal believed that a true looking manikin would assist people in learning CPR. Presently, the inanimate CPR manikin has been linked to a computer that offers feedback of the student’s performance and permits the manikin to respond in various ways. The potential of high-fidelity human simulation and virtual reality will replace the analogue model. The education experience will be as real and intense as real CPR. The future of technology in emergency service education is limited by virtual and computer technology, and by the capability to apply technology to an educational experience (Krumperman, Walz, & Zigmont, 2010, p. 87). High-fidelity simulation permits simulated patients in the type of manikins to talk, breathe, sweat, have a pulse, bleed, and even cry. The new simulators are completely wireless, permitting the providers to “pick up their simulated patients at a scene, transport them in their ambulance, and hand off to their local emergency department” (Krumperman, Walz, & Zigmont, 2010, p. 88). Growing in popularity is the multidisciplinary training with simulators, and this means that a similar patient used by the EMS for training can also interact with the fire departments and local police, nurses, doctors, and the (entire) health care system (Krumperman, Walz, & Zigmont, 2010, p. 88). In other words, the simulated patient can be used for training in various disciplines concerned with emergency medical services. References Brennan, J. A., & Krohmer, J. R. (2005). Principles of EMS systems. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Krumperman. K. M., Walz, B. J., & Zigmont, J. J. (2010). Foundations of EMS systems. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. National Research Council. (2007). Emergency medical services: At the crossroads. Washington, DC: The National Academics Press. Read More