Using Smartphones & PDAs in Emergency Medicine

In MRI's first eNewsletter, we interviewed John Pringle, program manager for electronic documentation for the city of San Diego Fire and Rescue department. Pringle has played an integral role in the development of TapChart, San Diego's PDA-based information capture system, which has been used by EMS responders in the city for the past decade. John spoke on this topic at TEPR 2008 and will be doing an update at TEPR+ 2009 as well as organizing presentations there on EMS implementations of electronic medical records.

From the interview:

Until 1997, EMS responders [in San Diego] recorded all patient encounter information on paper Scantron “bubble” forms, which were often lost, incomplete, or illegible. In response to these problems, the San Diego Medical Services Enterprise (SDMSE) – a public/private partnership formed between the city of San Diego Fire Rescue and Rural/Metro Ambulance – developed TapChart, software that allows responders to collect 9-1-1 emergency patient information electronically on handheld Palm smartphones. By transferring documentation to handheld devices, reports became more accurate, legible, faster and easier to complete.

The [development of TapChart] has proven that smartphones and PDAs can be very effective cost saving tools for emergency workers. After witnessing SDMSE’s success, many other San Diego area agencies have gone the route of implementing PDA based patient reports. TapChart has been so vital to SDMSE’s financial success that it has proven to be a necessary business practice for any future paramedic ambulance service in San Diego.

Does your community use a similar technology? Do you see greater benefits in the San Diego system? What questions do you have for John Pringle about TapChart's development and the pros and cons of its implementation?

[read the full interview here]