The next ambulance siren you hear may signal more than a sick patient aboard — industry leaders could soon transform ambulances into roving, wireless hotspots:
With their PDAs and laptops hooked up to home base via Wi-Fi, paramedics “can take those devices and go outside of the vehicle,” says In Motion CTO Larry LeBlanc. “When they arrive on the site, they can take a laptop to the patient and fill in the care information that they are giving.”
The alternative? Paper records, sometimes handwritten, that often must be transcribed either back in the ambulance or at the hospital. This has raised issues both in terms of efficiency and regulatory compliance, under government rulings such as HIPAA that set strict rules on the timeliness, accuracy and privacy of medical records.
One advantage that officials forgot to mention: EMT’s with wifi-enabled ambulances can use the system to check on the latest CPR recommendations…
Via Gizmodo…