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Calif. ambulances add paperless technology

Response times are down and patient survival rates up with GPS technology shaving off dispatch time

Fox 4 Kansas City News

LOS ANGELES — In a medical emergency the first minutes of response time can be crucial. Much of that time is spent on the way to hospitals, and technology is making the ride more efficient. Although ambulances don’t have all the resources of an E-R, technology is giving paramedics more tools to save lives.

In this world, every second counts. Technology at at Care Ambulance headquarters is literally saving lives. Technicians routinely work off computer aided dispatch systems. “The CAD system takes the place of all paper. So when a call comes in from the fire department, it drops right into our dispatchers screens” explains Bob Barry, Director of Public Relations at Care Ambulance. GPS figures out which ambulance is closest to the scene and dispatches it.

Paramedic Brent Gable said, “All the information will drop directly into the Garmin, thus allowing the EMT to not have to get a map book to guide themselves in. Once they arrive on scene, the call will drop into the tablet.” Specialized tablets create a paperless record, easily sending information from the field to waiting doctors.