Since 2010, when Apple released the iPad, tablets have revolutionized several facets of our daily lives as they made their way into education and business. Today, we are on the horizon of yet another technological transformation as tablets infiltrate two parts of the EMS world: classroom training and the field.
Tablets are used every day in EMS classrooms for things such as textbooks, simulating scenarios or recording videos of drills. Tablets allow for a highly interactive and diverse learning experience by compiling platforms like text, video, audio, pictures and simulation. The increasing digitization of our world makes it important for all students to become familiar and skilled with available technology like the tablet, and the classroom is a great place to start!
While tablets have been widely used in classroom settings for a few years, the emergence of tablets in the field is fairly new. In the field, EMS personnel can use tablets to organize task forces, complete electronic patient care reports, monitor the news and social media updates or run a number of newly available EMS applications.
One of these impressive new apps is called “Cargo Decoder”, a searchable version of Emergency Response Guidebook that allows you to quickly determine potentially dangerous materials in a cargo vehicle. This is just one example of how tablets have the ability to provide first responders with quick information and valuable resources while being both mobile and simple to operate.
You can quickly retrieve potential hazards with Cargo Decoders.
In a JEMS article, New Jersey EMS Task Force Planner Henry Cortacans says that his iPad was imperative during Hurricane Sandy because he was able to stay connected and organized during the emergency. Cortacans used the app “Fleeteyes”, an app that is designed as a “dispatch in your pocket” to ensure efficient placement of all emergency vehicle crews. A screenshot of the app below shows how Fleeteyes clearly displays the location of all emergency vehicles on a map, as well as in a comprehensive list:
Real-time embedded map.
Complete details of vehicles.
The future of tablets in the EMS world is bright and opportunities seem endless as technology continues to improve. When asked about the future role of tablets in EMS, JEMS Editorial Board Member David Page, MS, NREMT-P says, “Imagine, in an ambulance, you step in, there’s an iPad on the wall [that] is accumulating information via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Then imagine being able to hit a button and Skype over to the hospital and talk directly to the doctor.”
With technology geared towards the EMS community, the possibilities for advancement in the classroom and the field are endless.
If you want to check out some of the new EMS apps available for smartphones and tablets, visit the EMS1 site today!
