What information do you get from your company's dispatch when you receive a run?

[NomadicMedic]

Yup. We're trunked (I think also on a commercial/industrial system) and certainly not publicly accessible.

Don't be so sure. I surprised several people at work by showing them on a scanner that the "private" channel wasn't all that private.

 

[medicdan]

I hear that... Radio security isn't quite my foray, and I suspect the company outsources/contracts out the management to experts. To your knowledge, is there a truly secure method?

 

[Shishkabob]

Your companies broadcast pt names over the air? Privacy violation much, they are public airwaves....

Actually, it's not legal privacy concern. Since HIPAA is the main player in this field, we'll use that as the example. HIPAA permits ANY release of PHI when used in the course of patient care. Telling a crew where to go and who to find is part of patient care. Obviously you can try to avoid releasing the name, but there is no legal requirement.


Just like you can talk to an RN in a room and not be afraid of being fined because a patient in the next room over-hears, you don't have to be afraid to say PHI over the radio and getting in any sort of legal trouble.


Think about it... the law is loosely defined as providing any info to someone else that can identify a patient. Dispatch can withold the name, but saying "A 49 year old female at 123 Main Street for vaginal bleeding", it can be easily determined who the patient is, and therefor is a breach of HIPAA... if it weren't already considered legal.

And that's if a dispatch center is even considered a covered entity in the first place, which many are not.

 

[Tigger]

Actually, it's not legal privacy concern. Since HIPAA is the main player in this field, we'll use that as the example. HIPAA permits ANY release of PHI when used in the course of patient care. Telling a crew where to go and who to find is part of patient care. Obviously you can try to avoid releasing the name, but there is no legal requirement.


Just like you can talk to an RN in a room and not be afraid of being fined because a patient in the next room over-hears, you don't have to be afraid to say PHI over the radio and getting in any sort of legal trouble.


Think about it... the law is loosely defined as providing any info to someone else that can identify a patient. Dispatch can withold the name, but saying "A 49 year old female at 123 Main Street for vaginal bleeding", it can be easily determined who the patient is, and therefor is a breach of HIPAA... if it weren't already considered legal.

And that's if a dispatch center is even considered a covered entity in the first place, which many are not.

Thank you for this clarification, I thought this was the case but was not sure.

I am also fairly sure our ICOM system is not accessible to anyone without a company radio, I've tried and failed to find it.

 

[94H]

I don't know it just feels funny to me giving something incomplete for the receiving facility to sign. Is this okay and if it is what are major parts of the PCR you guys feel should be completed before having the receiving facility sign it?

We use HealthEMS at my service so if we are doing the trip sheet on the computer the nurse (and pt) usually signs a generic signature form anyway

 

[Tigger]

I don't know it just feels funny to me giving something incomplete for the receiving facility to sign. Is this okay and if it is what are major parts of the PCR you guys feel should be completed before having the receiving facility sign it?

Unless you have a policy to the contrary I wouldn't worry. When you give your report you're giving the same information that is (or hopefully is) on your narrative. We aren't even required to get the ER to sign unless it's a psych hold. I get one anyway to avoid those pesky abandonment charges though. Often times I have the RN sign the PCR and then I'll go write the narrative, they have no use for that section and I can generally get vitals, PMH, allergies, and demographics before we get to the hospital. That way I don't have to bother the staff or patient later, which just gets in the way of the ER treating the patient.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I hear that... Radio security isn't quite my foray, and I suspect the company outsources/contracts out the management to experts. To your knowledge, is there a truly secure method?

Sure. There are secure methods, but very few people use them. There are also methods that are purported to be "unlistenable" that are easily monitored with a radio shack scanner. The Radio system sales people are not beyond telling city officials that the new system will be private and unlistenable. For example, many of the medics at my current service believe our "operations" talk group on the trunk system is private and can't be monitored by anyone. Not so. It's unencrypted and easily scanned by anyone with a digital P25 capable scanner. Its also mostly boring chatter... But that's not the point.

 

[Handsome Robb]

We use HealthEMS at my service so if we are doing the trip sheet on the computer the nurse (and pt) usually signs a generic signature form anyway

We use HealthEMS too.

Maybe it's an IFT thing but I've never had a nurse sign anything...It's always been, "here's blah blah he's your patient, blah blah blah blah. ksweetthanks"

Then in my narrative "PT left in xxxx ER Room ## with report given to xxxxxxx RN."

 

[NomadicMedic]

I think it all depends on where you work. I worked for a BLS IFT Company and the rule was, if you didn't get a signature from both the patient and the nurse, the report wasn't complete.

 

[feldy]

We only do 911.

Priority (Code 1,2,3)
District
Address
Cross Streets
C/c
history (if applicable)
Whether or not fire enroute (for all code 3 calls)
any additional notes (code 4, gate codes, specific instructs that the call taker gets)

 

[Cup of Joe]

Type of call (Ambulance, Fire, Rescue, etc.), Location of Call, Additional Information (Diff Breathing, Odor of Smoke, Elevator Rescue, etc.), and Time of Alarm.

 

[Rettsani]

We get our runs via pager:
- Run. Nr.
- keyword
- Name
- Adress


keyword Exampels:
HiLoPe - helpless person, INTERN1 = internistic only Ambulanz, INTERN2 = internistic Ambulance and Emergency Physician Vehicle, CHIR1 = surgical only Ambulanze, CHIR2 = surgical Ambulanze and Emergency Physician Vehicle


We can then acknowledge the message by status-donor:
1- Ready to use on radio
2 - Ready to use on Station
3 - Run assumed
4 - Arrival
5 - voice request
6 - not Ready
7 - patient included
8 - at Hospital
9 - hand receipt
0 - Emergency Call


At the voice prompt from Dispatcher:
Gender, age, diagnosis, special features, providing doctor at Hospital, arrival time, Which Hospital


Diagnosis code Example:
Z1Stroke , Z2 brain hemorrhage, Z3 epileptic seizure, K2 heart attack, K1 CPR

 

[izibo]

We are exclusively 911 so we get:

- List of units being dispatched
- Address
- Cross Street
- Response Level (Alpha-Echo)
- Chief Complaint
- Channel Assignment

 

[TraprMike]

Hey guys. I just started on my first EMT-B job maybe a few weeks ago and I'm still feeling the waters in terms of procedure of picking up a patient. A lot of times I have no information about the patient except for their name until I get to the dest. At that point my PCR's narrative is still missing a lot of information except for Vitals CC and other assessment information which I could obtain directly from the patient. and I have to give the PCR to the receiving facility to sign already. I don't know it just feels funny to me giving something incomplete for the receiving facility to sign. Is this okay and if it is what are major parts of the PCR you guys feel should be completed before having the receiving facility sign it?

sometimes we get the wrong address:wacko: