This photo provided by National Fire Agency shows the agency’s medical instruction system.
SEOUL, July 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Fire Agency (NFA) said Wednesday that it will expand the scope of a service that allows a paramedic in the field to receive real-time instructions on medical treatment via video conference with a duty doctor nationwide.
When a paramedic needs to perform advanced medical interventions such as a tracheal intubation for a patient in cardiac arrest, he or she needs to first consult with a doctor.
Consultation via phone, however, posed difficulties in trying to effectively communicate field situations and the patient’s condition.
In response, the NFA set up a medical instruction system that uses video conference tools to connect the ambulance worker and the doctor via a mobile video conference app.
This allows paramedics to quickly send videos of the situation, while doctors can offer real-time instructions to paramedics to carry out efficient and accurate emergency treatment.
The video conference app can accommodate up to 16 speakers simultaneously, allowing staff from situation rooms, rescue teams, and doctors to deal with the patient throughout the entire process.
The NFA introduced the system at four regional headquarters in the Chungcheong area in February, saving 62 patients in cardiac arrest.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
