We all dread the day that we may land in a helpless situation. Envisage a medical emergency subscription service that allows members to record and maintain their critical medical information on a secure central database for retrieval, via SMS, on any mobile phone in the event of a medical emergency.
What would the building blocks of such a service be?
- The service would be developed in conjunction with the relevant local government EMS (Emergency Medical Services) department
- The service would be based on modern telecommunications technology and not be reliant upon fashion identification items or costly and unreliable call centres
- The service would eliminate the need for paper based contracts as the agreement would be underwritten by the terms and conditions of the mobile phone contract
- There would be no need for financial assurances as membership fees would be billed directly against the member’s existing mobile phone account
- The member would have full control over, and responsibility for, the privacy and ownership of the recorded information
- Retrieval of data would be fast and accurate
- Human error would be largely eliminated
- The attending medic would merely submit a request via SMS in order to retrieve the relevant information
What information would one expect from such a service?
- The attending medic would to be provided with all the relevant information required in order to treat the patient effectively
- Medical scheme details would be provided in order to ensure appropriate hospitalization and treatment
- The name of the member’s GP and contact details would be provided should further medical information be required about the patient
- The member’s next of kin contact details would be provided if needed – no automated alerts!
- Medical conditions such as high blood pressure or pregnancy would be provided
- Medication relating to medical conditions would be listed
- Allergies such as penicillin or bee stings would be listed
- The existence of a living will would be listed
- The existence of an organ donor undertaking would be listed
What is the reality?
In the absence of such a service, mistakes are made daily due to the lack of accurate information. As a result, patients land up in the wrong ambulance, in the wrong hospital, receive inferior treatment or, at worst, lose their lives.
Insurance companies and medical aid societies pay the price for mistakes made under these circumstances, which ultimately leads to higher medical aid membership fees.
Conclusion
There is no perfect solution to this problem. However, should you wish to learn more about a medical emergency service that attempts to address most of the above criteria, please visit our website at http://www.lifeiq.co.za
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