November 5, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Rapid advances in wireless communication technology could provide big benefits in improving emergency medical response, say UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) researchers. The latest technology could produce major improvements in the 911 system and in how Emergency Medical Services (EMS) teams handle medical emergencies from heart attacks to large-scale disasters.
UAB researchers have received a $3.2 million contract from the National Library of Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, to study the integration of wireless technology with EMS services. The study, called Advanced Network Infrastructure for Health and Disaster Management, is directed by Helmuth Orthner, Ph.D., professor of health informatics in UAB’s School of Health Related Professions.
“Our ability to handle medical emergencies is at a revolutionary threshold with the emergence of technologies such as secure, high-speed wireless communications and powerful hand-held computing and communication devices,” says Orthner. “This study will allow us to test how to integrate these technologies within the EMS community in an important new way.”
Orthner’s team will create tests to examine the best ways of merging wireless technology into the EMS system. One test will simulate EMS runs using older, out-of-service ambulances. The vehicles will be equipped with geopositional systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS). Dispatchers at a 911 center will have real-time knowledge of the location of each vehicle, enabling them to optimize response time.
A second test will look at enhancing communications between dispatchers, hospital staff and EMS responders by using cellular telephones, wireless local area networks, personal digital assistants (PDA’s), Internet2 technologies, and Internet-based 3G infrastructure.
“Our intention is to create guidelines and systems on how to incorporate these wireless technologies in the smoothest fashion with the EMS community independent of distance or geography,” says Orthner.
Orthner says the lessons learned will have value for EMS teams responding to any kind of medical emergency. He says any changes to the current system must be capable of rapid, failsafe escalation so that the system can seamlessly respond to situations ranging from an individual 9-1-1 call to major disasters such as catastrophic weather events or terrorist attacks.
“This initiative takes advantage of a critical time in society when the need for disaster preparedness cannot be overstated and the potential for IT solutions in healthcare has never been greater,” says David J. Fine, CEO, UAB Health System.
Co-principal investigators with Orthner are Gary Grimes, Ph.D., UAB professor of engineering and Dr. Thomas Terndrup, chair of the UAB department of emergency medicine.