ambulance tracking systems

[Just Plain Ruff]

Does anyone have experience with Emergency rooms that have some type of ambulance tracking system. what I'm asking is have you seen any ER's that have the ability to track ambulances as they come in to the ER. Can you private message me with the information of what hospital you have seen this in? I'm trying to contact a couple of hospitals to see how they set up their computer screens in order to provide the best product for the emergency room I'm working with right now.

thanks .

[Richard B the EMT]

Please restate the request, as I am unable to determine if you mean tracking what patient arrived at what time by what service provider, or Global Positioning System type geographical vehicle tracking.

[Just Plain Ruff]

ok let me try again

you give your ambulance report to the nurse via either the radio or phone

you get to the hospital and see a screen that has what bed your patient will go in to.

that is the kind of system I'm wanting to know.

shoot me a PM with the hospital name. I'd like to see if my the software company I work on has that hospital as a client and then I can call that hospital to discuss their set up.

hope that was more clear.

[JPINFV]

^

That can generally be accomplished with a white board. 1 hospital (maybe 2) in my area (for the record, there are 20 hospitals in my area. We tend to find ourselves some more times than others. A few of them I've only been in once or twice in a year and a half.) has a fully digital ER bed tracking system. Most use some sort of white board system (one has a white board specifically for incoming patients. Another uses the main white board to track incoming patients). Bed assignments generally depend on conditions in the hospital and can change from day to day. For example, the hospital I used to volunteer in uses the main white board. Depending on who the "flow tech" is, the bed assignment might already be made prior to arrival (unit XYZ written in the slot for that bed) or the transport info (age, PMD, CC) might be just written on the board and circled in an open area [the system is neater than it sounds being described].

PM sent with the names of the specific hospitals...

[Richard B the EMT]

Radio in the report, arrive, and find an electronic signboard telling you what the room assignment is for your patient? Have not seen, yet, but I kind of like the concept!

[akroeze]

Well considering the hospital in my area is only 1 "trauma" bed, 2 beds with monitors and 3 less acute beds it's a case of wheeling in and saying "which room?"

Where I trained, they generally told you when you called in your report. "Bed 6 on arrival" that kind of thing. That worked really well.

[firespec35]

Not sure what they have now but Oakwood main in Dearborn MI had a system like this when I was on the road. YOu would call your report then as you walked in you would have a monitor showing the pt status board and where it normally showed pt name next to the bed # would be the unit number. Granted this is all pre HIPPAA so like I said I don't know what they have now

[Medic2891]

I wish we had a system like this. All the hospitals in my area are too busy to play with a system like this. They are all still using the white board and in some cases even that doesn't work and they just say take that hall bed right there. It would be really nice thought to have something like this. It might lessen some of the confusion as to who has what and who is discharging and so on.

[CBEMT]

We have one hospital that just started it. The name of your service flashes over the bed number on the screen.

Problem is they didn't do a great job marketing the new system, so most crews just blow right by it because they don't know what it is. I know about it but I'm not used to it yet, so I'm forgetting a lot.

The other issue is this hospital took this opportunity to simultaneously re-number EVERY bed in the ED. So not only am I looking on the screen for my assignment, I then have to wander around the ED looking for where the frack the bed is because bed 23 is now bed G12 or something.

[FormerEMSLT297]

Facinating idea, I've never seen it in NY, NJ, MD, DC, or VA, but it's a GREAT Idea.... sounds a little cost prohibitive when a charge nurse can just say "ohh, medic XXX, go to room 3... "

I don't see the real benefit of it.. Please explain what you think it would acomplish, as well as the cost benefit. LOL

thanks

Former