Method and system for a seamless interface between an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system

• US 8,494,868 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Priority Dispatch Corporation
• Original Assignee: Priority Dispatch Corporation
• Inventors: Saalsaa, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fuelling, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/140,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20030212575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,095 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 3, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A method and system for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system with a nurse triage system that includes a health reference library and which seamlessly maintains information for use by both the emergency medical dispatch system and the nurse triage system. This invention enhances the quality of provided medical services by providing a consistent, reliable technique for collecting, evaluating and dispensing medical information and for evaluating a medical condition for subsequent medical dispatch and/or care.

Claims

1. A computer system for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system, comprising:

an emergency medical dispatch system (EMDS) configured to receive health information collected by an EMDS operator and originating from an individual responding to one or more questions asked by the EMDS operator, the questions provided to the EMDS operator by the EMDS computer according to a pre-scripted protocol; and

a nurse triage system (NTS) configured to receive health information collected by an NTS operator and originating from an individual responding to one or more questions asked by the NTS operator, the NTS comprising a test to determine if the received health information reflects an emergency situation; and

an information interface system in communication with the EMDS and the NTS, wherein if the test of the NTS determines the received health information reflects an emergency situation said information interface system provides an automated interface between the EMDS and the NTS by automatically routing the health information received by the NTS to the EMDS to enable use of the health information by the EMDS and eliminate redundant collection of the received health information.

2. A computer system for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system, as recited in claim 1, wherein the health information is collected via a call and wherein a call transfer also occurs from the NTS operator to the EMDS operator with the automatic routing of the health information.

3. A computer system for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system and nurse triage system, as recited in claim 1, wherein the EMDS further comprises:

(1) one or more symptom specific protocols; and

(2) a criticality determinate value, wherein the criticality determinate value is used to dispatch an appropriate emergency medical response.

4. A computer system for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said NTS further comprises:

one or more logic processes;

a set of questions from said one or more logic processes; and

information for providing to a caller based on said set of responses to said set of questions.

5. A computer system for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said information interface system further comprises:

a route of information from said NTS to said EMDS if it is determined that a call constitutes an emergency call; and

a route of information from said EMDS to said NTS, if additional information after the dispatch of an emergency medical response is available.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said NTS performs a search to locate a subscriber to said system and to acquire subscriber information.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the NTS operator is a trained medical professional.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the NTS operator is also the EMDS operator.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the NTS operator is located at a first call center and the EMDS operator is located at a second call center.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a communication device, and wherein the computer system performs an initial test to make a preliminary determination whether a communication via the communication device pertains to an emergency situation, and if the initial test determines the communication pertains to an emergency situation the EMDS is initiated, and if the initial test determines the communication does not pertain to an emergency situation the NTS is initiated.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the EMDS comprises a test to determine if received health information reflects a non-emergency situation, and wherein if the test of the emergency medical dispatch process determines that the received health information reflects a non-emergency situation, the information interface system automatically routes the health information received by the EMDS to the NTS to enable use of the received health information by the nurse triage process and eliminate redundant collection of the received health information.

12. A computer-implemented method for integrating an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system, comprising:

receiving health information on a nurse triage system (NTS) computer, the health information collected by an NTS operator during a health related call from a caller, wherein the caller provides the health information by responding to one or more questions asked by the NTS operator, wherein said NTS comprises a test to determine if the health related call is an emergency call;

if the health related call is an emergency call, initiating an emergency medical dispatch system (EMDS) on a computer and entering an emergency medical dispatch process, wherein the EMDS is configured to receive health information collected by an EMDS operator from the caller, wherein the health information is provided by the caller responding to one or more questions asked by the EMDS operator, the questions provided to the EMDS operator by the computer of the EMDS according to a pre-scripted protocol; and

if the health related call is an emergency call, an information interface system computer also automatically routing to the EMDS, from the NTS, the health information received by the NTS prior to determining that the call is an emergency call, whereby the received health information can be used by the EMDS to eliminate redundant collection of the received health information.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein a health related call takes place over a communication device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the communication device is a telephone.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the communication device is a two-way radio.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the test to determine if a health related call is an emergency call compares received health related information to pre-defined norms.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing a search to locate a subscriber to said system and acquiring subscriber information.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein a health related call involves a live NTS operator talking with a live caller over the telephone.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the NTS operator is a trained medical professional.

20. The computer-implemented method system of claim 12, wherein the NTS operator is also the EMDS operator.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the NTS operator and the NTS are located at a first call center and the EMDS operator and EMDS are located at a second call center.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a health related call on a communication device coupled to a computer system;

the computer system performing an initial test to make a preliminary determination whether the health related call is an emergency;

if the initial test determines the communication pertains to an emergency, the computer system initiating the EMDS and routing the health related call to the EMDS operator; and

if the initial test determines the health related call is not an emergency the computer system initiating the NTS and routing the call to the NTS operator.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising

receiving health information on the EMDS, the health information collected through the EMDS operator during a call from a caller, wherein the caller provides the health information by responding to-one or more questions asked by the EMDS operator, the questions provided to the EMDS operator by the EMDS according to a pre-scripted protocol, wherein said EMDS comprises a test to determine if the health related call is a non-emergency call;

if the health related call is a non-emergency call, initiating the NTS; and

if the health related call is a non-emergency call, an information interface system automatically routing to the NTS, from the EMDS, the health information received by the EMDS prior to determining that the call is a non-emergency call, whereby the received health information can be used by the nurse triage process to eliminate redundant collection of the received health information.

24. A method for interfacing an emergency medical dispatch system and a nurse triage system, comprising:

receiving a medical call;

determining whether the received medical call is an emergency call;

entering an emergency dispatch system if the received medical call is an emergency;

collecting critical health related information;

calculating a criticality determinate value based on the collected critical health related information;

dispatching an emergency medical response based on the calculated criticality determinate value;

storing said collected information and wherein said stored information is stored in a manner that it can be used directly by both the emergency medical dispatch process and a nurse triage system;

entering the nurse triage system, using said collected critical health information, wherein the nurse triage system further comprises testing to determine if a call is an emergency call and rerouting the call to the emergency medical dispatch system from the nurse triage system if the call is determined to be an emergency call; and

automatically routing collected medical related information to the emergency medical dispatch system from the nurse triage system if the call is determined to be an emergency call.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a health related call takes place over a communication device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the communication device is a telephone.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the communication device is a two-way radio.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

performing a search to locate a subscriber to said system and acquiring subscriber information.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein a health related call takes place live in person.