US 5,857,966 A · Method and system for the unconscious or fainting protocol of an emergency medical dispatch system

Abstract

A method and system for receiving, processing and responding to emergency medical calls for patients who have fainted or are unconscious is described. A consistent, standard and systematic process is provided which in combination with adequate training, supervision and quality assurance serves to provide a method for gathering emergency medical information regarding providing emergency medical dispatch services to patients who are unconscious or have fainted, categorizing such information into various determinant levels for appropriate response, and for giving qualified emergency medical information to callers thereby permitting "zero time" response by those at the scene. By using this invention properly a dispatcher is guided through the interrogation of callers concerned with patients who are unconscious or have fainted, gathering critical information and giving the appropriate guidance to the caller. This invention specifically guides the dispatcher through the steps of the unconsciousness protocol, thereby identifying the degree of urgency of such complaints and appropriately dispatching emergency medical responders.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A method for managing the unconsciousness related medical call process of an emergency medical dispatch system, for dispatching medical assistance to patients needing such medical assistance, comprising the steps of:

(A) receiving a medical call on a telephone communication device regarding a patient needing medical assistance;
(B) inquiring if the patient is diabetic;
(C) inquiring if the patient has heart problems;
(D) inquiring if the patient is breathing normally;
(E) inquiring if the patient is still unconscious;
(F) inquiring if the patient is alert;
(G) setting an appropriate determinant value based on said inquiries
(H) dispatching medical personnel to the patient as determined by said appropriate determinant value.

5 more elements

A system for managing the process of responding to related emergency medical calls related to unconscious patients, the system comprising:

(A) a telephone communication device on which an emergency medical call is received by a medical services dispatcher;
(B) a dispatcher guidance device for guiding the medical services dispatcher in gathering information from said emergency medical call;
(C) a first inquiry from said dispatcher guidance device whereby the medical services dispatcher is instructed to inquire as to whether the patient is diabetic;
(D) a second inquiry from said dispatcher guidance device whereby the medical services dispatcher is instructed to inquire as to whether the patient has heart problems;
(E) a third inquiry from said dispatcher guidance device whereby the medical services dispatcher is instructed to inquire as to whether the patient is breathing normally;
(F) a fourth inquiry from said dispatcher guidance device whereby the medical services dispatcher is instructed to inquire as to whether the patient is still unconscious;
(G) a fifth inquiry from said dispatcher guidance device whereby the medical services dispatcher is instructed to inquire as to whether the patient is alert;
and
(H) a determiner for setting a level of criticality based on said first inquiry, said second inquiry, said third inquiry, said fourth inquiry and said fifth inquiry wherein said determiner is a basis for dispatching medical personnel.

6 more elements

A method for managing the process for responding to an emergency medical call relating to a patient who is unconscious or who has fainted in a general purpose computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;
dynamic memory,
static memory,
a display device,
an input device,
an output device,
a mass storage device which contains
a number of emergency medical instruction records,
a number of medical information records,
a grouping of determinant codes,
a number of emergency medical inquiry reports,
the method comprising the steps of:
(A) displaying on the display device an instruction to inquire if the patient is diabetic;
(B) receiving on the input device data indicating whether the patient is diabetic;
(C) storing said received diabetic indicator data in the dynamic memory;
(D) displaying on the display device an instruction to inquire if the patient has heart problems;
(E) receiving on the input device data indicating whether the patient has heart problems;
(F) storing said received heart problem indicator data in the dynamic memory;
(G) displaying on the display device an instruction to inquire if the patient is breathing normally;
(H) receiving on the input device data indicating whether the patient is breathing normally;
(I) storing said received breathing normally data in the dynamic memory;
(J) displaying on the display device an instruction to inquire if the patient is still unconscious;
(K) receiving on the input device data indicating whether the patient is still unconscious;
(L) storing said unconscious data in the dynamic memory;
(M) displaying on the display device an instruction to inquire if the patient is alert;
(N) receiving on the input device data indicating whether the patient is alert;
(O) storing said patient alert data in the dynamic memory;
and
(P) setting a dispatch code in computer dynamic memory for the dispatch of emergency medical care to the patient based on said stored received data as to whether the patient is diabetic, has heart problems, is breathing normally, in unconscious, or is alert.

26 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for the unconscious or fainting protocol of an emergency medical dispatch system

Life of this patent

Method and system for the unconscious or fainting protocol of an emergency medical dispatch system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9