Enhanced methods for the collection of on-scene information by emergency medical system providers

Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) assess their cardiac care performance and effectiveness by measuring how quickly they respond to arrest and infarction. Time intervals defined by standard response models such as the Utstein Style for Cardiac Arrest Reporting are recorded and tracked to identify delays in patient treatment which can impact patient outcomes. Unfortunately, most event times, as entered into the responder's run reports, are inaccurate, since they are estimated retrospectively after the incident is over. A data collection device that can accurately gather information included in the run report is proposed. The device must be able to accept information about the incident context, record the time of key events, and capture the narrative summary without interfering with patient care. When the incident is over, it should import information from computer dispatch systems and diagnostic or therapeutic medical devices used on-scene. Information must be exported for remote diagnoses and for inclusion in the computerized patient care record. Current voice recognition systems which are able to recognize and time-stamp short phrases associated with on-scene events, allow a flow sheet to be composed as the incident progresses. Critical data and times can thus be accurately collected without the need for responders to touch a screen or keypad. These systems can also capture the clinical narrative by transcribing verbal reports as they are delivered to emergency department physicians. A Windows application, running on a waistband computer and suitable for use by EMS responders, has been developed based on these principles and technologies, and is now being evaluated in field use.