TARRANT COUNTY, Texas – Patients experiencing a heart attack or stroke can benefit from a new communication technology, Pulsara, a smartphone app implemented by 11 northeast Tarrant EMS teams and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Grapevine.
Pulsara is an app on the smartphones of EMS teams and each member of Baylor Scott & White – Grapevine's critical care team.
The hospital is the first in the Baylor Scott & White Health system and the first in Tarrant County to implement smartphone technology to support care for these patients.
Jamee Gatzemeier, RN, BSN, SCRN, Stroke /EMS coordinator at Baylor Scott & White – Grapevine, led the pilot program.
"With a heart attack, we say, 'time is muscle' or with a stroke 'time is brain," Gatzemeier said. "This technology puts EMS and hospital clinicians in direct communication. The hospital team knows what to anticipate clinically and is prepared to deliver care when the patient arrives."
The app allows EMTs in the field who recognize symptoms of a stroke or heart attack to simply tap a button on their smartphones. This tap notifies the hospital team that an ambulance is on its way with a critical patient. As the paramedic enters more information, such as the patient's medical history and vital signs, every team member receives a secure update.
To date, the hospital has used the technology for a possible 115 STEMIs (heart attack) and 117 times for possible strokes.
Through Pulsara, the team can transmit ECGs, photos, a medication list and other medical information necessary. Hospital teams can send a secure chat directly to EMS team members, telling them to bypass the hospital emergency department and go directly to the cardiac catheterization lab where treatment would begin for the heart attack patient.
Before implementing this app, the EMS teams and hospital teams communicated through pagers, faxes and emails. Using Pulsara, heart attack patients have gone into the cardiac catheterization lab in as little time as 26 minutes – compared to the national standard of 90 minutes.
Baylor Scott & White – Grapevine has used the program for more than six months. Initially five Tarrant County EMS teams –DFW, Grapevine, Southlake, Euless and Keller – participated in the pilot project. Since the implementation, Colleyville, Roanoke, Westlake, Trophy Club, Flower Mound and Argyle EMS teams have joined.
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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White is empowering customers to live well by reimagining traditional healthcare — creating more convenient, personalized and informed experiences. It serves more than three million customers through 53 hospitals, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple; the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute; 1,300+ access points; 59,000+ team members; and its leading digital platform — MyBSWHealth. The system's award-winning employer solutions include Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and Levanto — a company offering digitally enabled health products. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White's mission is to promote the health and well-being of all individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
