When a medical emergency strikes, life often hangs in the balance of time. A few seconds gained or loss can mean the difference between a happy or sad ending.
Emergency room doctors, medical staff, EMTs, fire department members and officers on the police force save thousands of lives annually. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond their control, they also lose more than they can possibly save.
Logistics of medical emergencies often prevent trained personnel from reaching the scene in time; they can be too far away. Now, thanks to the proliferation of smartphone apps that can tap into location and crowdsourcing data, a solution exists.
Police, firehouse and EMS software now allows for some of the adverse conditions to be overcome. The newly available apps create additional options for decisions that may save lives. Three capabilities of these tools give emergency health personnel the ability to make decisions to increase the odds of saving a life.
- Communication with the hospital: The clock doesn’t stop ticking when the ambulance pulls up to the ER doors. If doctors and staff have complete information about the nature of the patient’s condition, he has a better chance of survival. Apps are proving themselves as a more reliable and efficient way to transmit this crucial information than traditional radio or phone calls.
- Ability to summon a nearby trained citizen: When a cardiac arrest occurs in a public place, someone trained in CPR can keep a patient alive until EMTs have time to arrive. Programmers have written apps that allow qualified citizens to opt into the program. When they hear of a medical emergency, hospital staff can send an alert to any app users in the immediate area who can rush over to render aid.
- Help for EMTs to get to patients faster: Firehouse and EMS software that can pinpoint a patient’s exact location can help emergency personnel reach the scene more quickly. When a medical emergency strikes, the victim may be able to summon emergency workers but be confused about the exact location. Apps with GPS positioning help get them there in time.
The range of features on this burgeoning area of the app market keeps growing more extensive. Texting capabilities allow victims’ family and support network to receive a text if the patient summons emergency help. The transmitted information lets the recipient know where the emergency occurred.
When emergency personnel has the tools they need to make better decisions, they can save more lives. Zolldata.com specializes in providing these app-powered solutions to healthcare professionals everywhere.