Incoming patient notifications are notices received by destination facilities that use EMTrack or EMResource. Known as prehospital notifications for emergency medical services (EMS), these notifications contain critical information that helps destination facilities coordinate more effective and efficient care. Destination facilities can respond through the notifications to acknowledge or divert patients, as well as communicate with emergency medical services (EMS) using secure, bi-directional messaging.
In EMTrack, destination facilities are alerted about new and updated notifications through a bar, along the bottom of the window. The number of notifications or updates is provided, along with a link to quickly access the list of incoming patients.
The Incoming Patients list can also be accessed by navigating to the Transports tab.
The Incoming Patients list presents patients according to their estimated time of arrival (ETA), and provides general information such as the Triage Category, Alert Type, Gender, and EMS Agency and Unit. On the right of each row, the Details link opens the patient details page with more information, when available.
Alert Types
Alert types flag incoming patient notifications with a condition, description, or status. This allows EMS personnel to quickly describe the patient condition or situation and provides the destination facility with basic information at a glance.
Common alert types include STEMI, Stroke, Sepsis, and Trauma. However, EMTrack administrators can also create custom alert types, such as Burns, OBGYN, Patient Transfer, or Military.
Response and Messaging
Destination facilities can respond to notifications by acknowledging or diverting patients. These responses essentially confirm or deny the destination facility's ability to accommodate the patient. The Divert option is configurable and should be used according to policy. Receiving this kind of information is immensely helpful for EMS units that are trying to transport patients to the nearest, most appropriate facility.
Additionally, destination facilities that use EMTrack or EMResource can initiate secure, bi-directional messaging with the EMS unit. Instant messaging allows users to communicate changes, request updates, and provide instructions for the patient handoff. In EMTrack, destination facilities respond to and send messages through Transports > Incoming Patients > Details.