[Alexander]

Hallo dear EMS Members,

with VR technology becoming more accessible, virtual and augmented reality have found plenty uses in healthcare and EMS, from training tools to treating patients. Until recently, much education in healthcare had to be performed based on the example of either real bodies or special dolls, with the obvious disadvantage of not representing a real scenario accuratel. Today, technology can make medical training much more effective: As one example, virtual reality is a more efficient way to share information and to display a surgery simulation without potentially harming a patient.

[Alexander]

Hi Sandra, I hope you are doing good and healthy.

Visiting a doctor via app is becoming increasingly popular across Europe. The corona pandemic has changed a lot in this area. Not only are online health platforms becoming socially acceptable, but the first hospitals are opening up digital outpatient clinics. Under certain circumstances patients will soon not need to go to the hospital to have an appointment with the doctor. The reason is that some hospitals will soon start offering a “digital clinic”. You can find more information about these developments here https://www.iprocuresecurity.eu/video-instead-of-visits-to-the-doctor-now-also-hospitals-rely-on-telemedicine/.

Video instead of visits to the doctor: Now, also hospitals rely on telemedicine

[Alexander]

Dear Andres,

thank you for bringing up this interesting topic that according to my opinion can be addressed by the multilingual glossary developed by the iProcureSecurity consortium. I did some research and came across the project InGRiP. The action aims, among others to improve the understanding of the respective foreign medical language for paramedics stationed in the bordering regions (Germany – Poland), and to give them the opportunity to practice the joint handling of emergency scenarios at simulators. It might be beneficial to collect some information on their approach and findings regarding most used and needed terminology in the daily life of the EMS practitioners, of course taking into account the conditions (if it is a rural or urban area, demographic characteristics etc.) under which the emergency medical care is provided.

Below you can find the link to the website where more information on the project is to be found:

https://www.uni-greifswald.de/en/university/information/current-news/details/n/saving-lives-across-borders-improving-german-polish-paramedic-cooperation-23499/

Best Regards,

Alexander

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  Alexander.

[Alexander]

Dear Sandra, thank you for bringing up this interesting topic. From my point of view applying cloud based call centers brings a lot of advantages to the work of the EMS organisations. Some of them are low complexity in maintaining hardware, no hardware costs, no set up costs. The only costs arise here in connection to the storage internet connection.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by  Alexander.

[Alexander]

Dear Sandra, dear John, thank you for your contributions and interesting discussion. Recently EU has published some guidelines and recommendations aiming at more unified response to COVID-19 by the member states including public health. The information can be retrieved on the website of EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/content/news/Covid19.html

[Alexander]

Dear EMS members, I came recently across an information about a digital solution which makes it simple for older adults to manage medical emergency events. The app is called Simple Launcher and older users can download it and thus receive a simplified user interface that is tailored to their needs. With this app they can enlarge the font and the app icons. In addition, Simple Launcher makes it possible to display frequently chosen contacts with a photo on the home screen. Seniors can call these people directly using the speed dial button and gain more confidence in handling the device. Important contacts from the environment or family members can be easily reached. Moreover, this app is even geared for emergencies. An SOS button enables direct emergency calls. In some cases, it even serves as a lifesaver.

[Alexander]

Hi Elsa, thank you for bringing up this interesting topic. From my point of view the
exchange of electronic prescriptions is critical to patient safety, as it
enables doctors to better understand the medical history of foreign patients
and to reduce the risk of wrong medication and the cost of double exams.

[Alexander]

Hallo Stylianos, thank you for your cotribution. Could you please share with us how the COVID-19 crisis affected the allocation of resources in Greece with regard to ambulance transportation.

[Alexander]

I also believe that the best way to uptake the role of bystanders during emergencies is to train more lay people in CPR, tourniquet use, and other life-saving techniques. An example is the one hour training course created by the American College of Emergency Physicians and conducted by emergency physicians that teach basic life-saving skills to their community. The initiative aims to educate and empower citizens to provide first care before professional help arrives, because every minute counts when dealing with a critical injury or illness. To learn more about the initiative, please visit: https://untilhelparrivesshop.com/pages/about-us

I am curious to know what the representatives of the Italian Resuscitation Council think about that?!

[Alexander]

Hallo dear EMS Network members,

A new method to detect movement or even respiratory disorder was developed by the start-up Origin Wireless aiming at the provision of an alternative to the classic alarm systems. The technology, which is known as a “time-reversing machine”, only requires two routers in the mesh network and can detect changes in the room with an accuracy of one to two centimeters with little delay.

The main router sends out a signal that is received by the other routers, the so-called “bots”. The signal is checked for changes more than 50 times per second, which is determined with precision using an algorithm. In this way, breathing can be recognized in addition to movement after just one minute.

The technology could also be used to detect an emergency, such as a passed out or fallen person. For example, the system could classify a sudden change, such as falling to the ground, as well as a subsequent unchanged situation – if the person lies motionless – as a possible emergency and call the rescue.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by  Alexander.

[Alexander]

Hi Sandra, thank you for your intersting contribution! I certainly think that COVID-19 represents a push for telemedicine adoption.

The COVID-19 crisis made it clear that not every visit to the doctor has to be personal. Many concerns and questions from patients can be resolved digitally more quickly. Health insurance companies have therefore made it possible for doctors to bill for examination over telemedical contact. The Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober and the Medical Association even recommend the tele-contact. The option of an e-prescription was also created, where doctors and pharmacists can exchange data and, above all, chronic patients no longer have to see a doctor.

In order to support medical practices quickly and efficiently the software company CompuGroup Medical (CGM) also provides all doctors in Austria with free of charge video consultation hours. Thus, infected with COVID-19 patients can receive effective, profound and personal advice via video signal directly and without the risk for doctors and staff. COVID-19 patients who are still in quarantine at home can use telemedicine technology for monitoring of their vital signs The private insurer Uniqa, in turn, has announced that it will be introducing the option of telemedicine with immediate effect for all customers who have taken the additional package “acute care”. “The medical consultation takes place in this case via smartphone.

[Alexander]

Dear John, thank you for bringing up the topic. I personally think that the application of health apps will improve the quality of health care provision for older adults. Nevertheless, there are some barriers towards the acceptance of health apps that need to be considered. Some of these challenges for example are lack of trust, data privacy concerns and fear of misdiagnosis.

[Alexander]

Dear Andreas, thank you for bringing up this importnat topic. While searching for strategies on how to deal with disruptive PPE supplies I came across an article published by the american Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting possible approaches that could be also applied in the context of Europe. The article can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/strategies-optimize-ppe-shortages.html

[Alexander]

Dear EMS Network members, i came across an article on technology which can
detect victums through walls and other barriers using WLAN-like signals. The so-called “Through Wall Sensing” system is based on a prototype from the ETH Zurich, which has now been further developed. The heart of the system is the “Software Defined Radio Platform” (SDR) developed at the BFH. This is the generation of a radio wave in a similar frequency range and of a similar strength to WLAN. The original article can be found here: https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000079168193/wlan-aehnliches-signal-erlaubt-blick-durch-waende.

[Alexander]

Digitization has a far-reaching impact on the education system. There are now numerous new digital teaching and learning formats. Highly immersive virtual realities offer various possibilities for simulation training.

With modern VR glasses for example, this succeeds to a greater extent than in the desktop-based, low-immersive VR. Highly immersive VR enable the three-dimensional representation of different locations and a virtual patient (VP).

With a VP, different symptom expressions can be displayed dynamically. By integrating virtual objects (e.g. emergency medical equipment) into the VR and other virtual agents (e.g. relatives of the patient), a variety of interaction options can be created in the virtual training environment. VR systems that are equipped with a motion tracking system also transmit the real movements of the training participants into the virtual environment and thus also allow them to be displayed as avatars in VR.

Such a VR simulation environment was developed in the EPICSAVE project. The VR is designed as a multi-user environment so that it supports the acquisition of professional skills (e.g. clinical decision-making) for the emergency medical care of patients. The hardware equipment for a team training with 2 trainees consists of 2 VR glasses, 4 operating controllers and two PCs with a display for controlling the simulation by the trainers.