Electronic Health Reporter

By Daniel Frey, vice president of business development and co-founder, FieldMed.

Such as we experienced this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis can strike at any moment. Frontline workers such as paramedics know this better than anyone. As those on the frontlines of emergency responses, paramedics also know the importance of having the right tools immediately available.  Customized ePCR (electronic patient care reporting) software helps first responders quickly adapt to any crisis situation with limited interruptions in the field.

3 Benefits of ePCR Software Customization

In an emergency situation, these customized forms and templates are precious commodities. With a customizable ePCR software, responding to real-world crisis scenarios becomes less stressful and more streamlined.

Adaptable fire department record management software provides first responders with three major benefits, including:

1. Optimized templates and forms
2. Improved Metric Analysis
3. Interagency Consistency
4. Optimized Templates and Forms

Customized ePCR forms and templates make a paramedic’s job easier.  By tailoring EMS charting software to a specific situation, first responders waste less time on data collection and documentation. This allows for first responders to focus their time and resources on what matters most: treating patients. Customized ePCR templates and forms can be crafted — even on the fly — to seamlessly follow along with a paramedic’s workflow.  There’s no more scrolling past long blocks of text or data entry points that aren’t germane to the situation. First responders are able to focus on delivering and documenting treatments, resulting in the overall improvement of patient care.

In non-emergency situations, ePCRs can be adjusted to meet a department’s specific needs, whether it’s responding to a common situation, such as a car crash, or treating a specific population, such as veterans or specific issues, such as mental health matters. 

2. Improved Metric Analysis 

As patient data is logged in the field, a customized ePCR allows for automatic information categorization, as well as quick data retrieval and evaluation. Data from an ePCR is invaluable to those managing a crisis, as it shows trends or identifies areas of need in almost real-time. It also provides the documentation of initial treatments that worked, which help first responders make better and more comprehensive decisions to quell a crisis.

3. Interagency Consistency

In extreme situations such as natural disasters and pandemics, multiple agencies — including private EMS — respond to an emergency.

With customized ePCRs, those managing a crisis are able to provide all first responders with identical templates and forms. That means all paramedics and EMTs are working from the same playbook and collecting the same data, which can later be evaluated.

ePCR Customization: A Real-World Example

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, traditional field reporting ill-equipped first responders with limited resources and data to provide the necessary care . To help with this need, community health program software made adjustments and updates to help EMTs safely and effectively screen those displaying coronavirus symptoms.

Following federal, state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, immediate updates were made to provide first responders with forms and templates needed for basic COVID-19 screenings.  At the same time, software integration with community health programs  allowed for telehealth visits. This limited a potentially infected patient’s exposure to others while allowing for immediate diagnosis and treatment within the home.

ePCR Customization: Planning for the Unexpected

While no one can know exactly when a crisis will happen, customized ePCR software allows for first responder agencies to respond effectively — even at a moment’s notice.  With the flexibility that customizable ePCR software offers, even the smallest details in treating patients during a crisis are no longer overlooked.