PCs For All Ambulance Stations

PHECC are sponsoring the provision of a multimedia PC within each base of the public emergency ambulance services nationally. PHECC has provided funding to each Health Board and Dublin Fire Brigade for the provision of a multi-media PC at each Ambulance Station throughout the country.


Why you may ask? We are all aware that the education, training and continuing professional development of EMTs and EMCs is a fundamental requirement for providing good pre-hospital emergency care. By providing a PC that facilitates access to modern information and communications technology, PHECC is demonstrating a clear commitment to and support for participation in the modern electronic information age.

New Approaches.

PHECC has been advising and requesting Training Institutions and healthcare providers to introduce innovative curricula. Support for novel and experimental approaches to continuing education will be forth coming. The Building Capacity Project, which has been conducted over the last number of months, has highlighted the need for computer facilities in all services at station level throughout the country.

Specification

A suggested PC specification was forwarded to the all the Services however the final decisionsregarding the PC to be supplied remains with the local ICT Department to ensure it met their neighbourhood specifications.

One essential feature was stipulated within the specification to enable or enhance electronic communications between PHECC and you. We requested that the multi media PC would be configured for internet access. This would be facilitated through the inclusion of either a network card or a dial up modem wherever appropriate. Such a move it was considered would position EMTs for access to the PHECC website (www.phecc.ie) and facilitate e-mail communications as well as supporting the development of virtual learning packages and or initiatives. (Continued in next column....)
   Where services already have provided multimedia PCS specifically for EMT usage it would be PHECC's intention that the allocation should be used to enhance existing facilities in keeping with the spirit of the proposal. It is intended that the ICT equipment provided for under this sponsorship would be for the use of the Ambulance Service EMTs and EMCs only.

When or what time scale?

The finances have already been distributed to each of your services. PHECC expect that the multi media PCS will be coming on stream at Ambulance Station level during the second quarter of 2003. Each of the Ambulance Station PCS provided under this initiative will prominently display a PHECC sponsorship badge. See the table for the allocation details for each service.

'Value Added"

The availability of multimedia PCS for EMTs at all stations will contribute to the informal development of computer skills. The concept of developing a "virtual" Training Institution would also be wholly consistent with the introduction of electronic patient report forms and clinical audit process.

 
Allocation to Services
Organisation  No. of PCs    Organisation  No. of PCs
 DFB  11    NWHB  12
 ERAS  11   SEHB   12
 MHB  6    SHB  19
 MWHB  0    WHB  11
 NEHB  7      


   

Why? The principles behind this initiative

  • Assist and facilitate education, training and professional development through the provision of access to educational multimedia resources such as CD-ROM and interactive learning packages.
  • Prepare for the provision of Clinical Practice Guidelines in an electronic formal.
  • Prepare for the collection, collation and analysis of clinical and operational activity data.
  • Facilitate and promote EMT access to modern multimedia PCS and electronic information facilities.
  • Development of computer skills for EMTs and EMCs locally.
  • Support the creation of a communications network between PHECC EMTs and EMCs by providing the initial hardware to facilitate e-mail services to all hold", of NQEMT who are on the PHECC register.