• Home

Hi-tech ambulances to relay data of patients

DUBAI — Ambulances in Dubai will now be able to relay the exact condition of a patient to paramedics via a TV screen installed at the hospital’s emergency and trauma centre.

The new Emergency Medical Services System CareMonXô EMS Suite developed by the Ireland-based Valentia Technologies will be ready for use in a couple of months. Initially the system will be installed in 30 ambulances while a TV screen displaying messages from the ambulance will be set up in Rashid Hospital’s Emergency and Trauma Centre. By next year, all ambulances and hospitals in the emirate will be linked to the system.

The new system, costing $2mn, will enable hospitals to prepare in advance to receive patients being taken to the trauma centre. “The new system allows immediate transmission of the condition of the patient from the ambulance/or accident site to the hospital so that paramedics can be prepared in advance,” says Dr Omar Sakkaf, Head of Training Unit at the Unified Ambulatory Care (UAC) Centre.

Dr Sakkaf explained that the system spans a wide range of functions including real-time patient and incident data collection and transmission, incident reporting, and management of fleet inventory and staff work schedules.

“Once this system is place, we will be able to analyse the patient’s case in no time,” claimed Dr Sakkaf.

He also said the system was practically error-free and nearly 80 per cent of the work on the project has been completed. “We are providing training to our staff on this electronic system management system which will provide great benefit to the UAC,” he said. Dr Ahmed Javad, CEO Valentia Technologies, said a similar project was already running successfully in Ireland.

“The system, which works using the tetra and GSM systems, also allows strategic placing of ambulances all over the emirate,” he said, adding that it will also reduce emergency response time dramatically.

“With the help of CareMonXô EMS Suite, ambulances will remain stocked with up-to-date medicine and equipment. It will also enable paramedics to formulate work schedules months ahead,” he said.

“The system basically offers an important additional care dimension: real-time transmission of in-field patient data to emergency departments, thereby enhancing utilisation of the ‘golden hour’ and facilitating improved triage management,” Dr Jawad added.