SMARTPHONE technology is assisting South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to reach patients virtually within seconds.
Clinicians in the ambulance control rooms are asking some 999 callers to use their phone camera to help them to assess the patient’s injuries or illness and decide what treatment is required.
With their permission the caller is sent a text message asking them to click and accept a link to send a live stream from their camera phone to the clinician.
The GoodSAM Video Consultation platform allows the clinician to see the patient on their screen, and provide help and advice for them.
Specialist Paramedic Craig Andrews used GoodSAM Video Consultation to assist the parents of a baby who had sustained a head injury.
He said: “The technology really gave the parents a great deal of reassurance that a clinician had seen their child. Within a matter of minutes, all their worries had gone and they felt reassured and ready to follow self-care advice without requiring an ambulance to attend.”
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