ePCRs

[Old Tracker]

Are they an app or is it software? Are they worth having?

 

[luke_31]

Your company will provide you with what you need to write your reports on. It's software and not something you buy yourself.

 

[Old Tracker]

Okay, thanks. We do manual PCRs and I'm pretty sure it will be quite awhile before the town can afford the E version.

 

[TransportJockey]

Some are quite affordable and the companies will cut you a deal for the software for cheap just to takeover your billing (intermedix for example)

 

[Old Tracker]

Okay, thanks, that maybe a plus. I will probably bring it up when we meet with our medical director next week. If he is in favor of it, that may go a long way to getting it authorized.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Does your service have a Director that oversees operations? I'd go that route first...
(Sidestepping the chain of command tends to piss people off...)

 

[Old Tracker]

Our "director" is one of the senior EMTs, he'll be at the same meeting. If I see him before then I will broach it to him ahead of time. I suspect our big hurdle will be the city finding funding. Worst that can happen is they say No, and we stay with the paper forms.

 

[FiremanMike]

I didn't know anyone was still doing written PCRs.. How do you guys submit your runs to your State?

 

[Inspir]

We recently switched from paper PCR's to ePCR's and lets just say the transition is rough. What usually took 30 minutes post call has turned into 60-90 minutes. I'm sure once we get more exposure and experience with them we will go back to normal times. Just a lot of boxes and checks.

 

[Jim37F]

Yeah, some ePCRs are better than others...at my current and previous jobs, they are (slash-were) simply enough that for a simple BLS (transport, monitor vitals, chit chat w/patient) I can check everything off pretty much except for the narrative in a 5 min transport time, get that done too in a 10 min transport (or whilst holding the wall at the hospital) and usually all I need is signatures, and transfer vitals and I can have the thing done by the time my partner has finished doconning the rig and we're ready to roll.

Right before I left my first company they were rolling out a new ePCR (and I got to sit through the training for that a few weeks before I left) and that one just seemed so complicated having to hunt and pick through different tabs to find different applicable information...kind of a nightmare. (My previous employer's ePCR was a digital version of the pre-existing paper form, you tapped in a section and it would open a larger view to input all the necessary data, then tap and go back to the overall form view....it was rather very intuitive, especially for those who'd been there forever and used the paper forms since the beginning of time, the only transition issues they had were typing on the tablets touch screen keyboard lol. My current place is different, each section is a boxed area, but in one long scroll with quick link at the top to various sections as needed, more or less set up so you simply start at the top and work your way down, once you play with it once or twice it becomes pretty simple).

So basically if you are going to switch, don't just switch to the cheapest available, actually find one that works with how you've done your paper forms, it'll make transition and life after transition so much easier, play around with a few, trial a few different vendors at once and see which one just clicks before spending your money if at all possible.

 

[Old Tracker]

I didn't know anyone was still doing written PCRs.. How do you guys submit your runs to your State?

We have a young lady at the station that transcribes them on a computer. I have no idea if she transfers them electronically or prints them and mails 'em out.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I've used several; ZOLL, ImageTrend, Emergenecy Reporting, EMS charts and now iPCR. The iPCR charts we use now (http://www.ipcrems.com/) are actually really good. Very intuitive and simple. If you've got the budget to supply your trucks with iPads, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Old Tracker]

DEmedic, good info. Thanks all.

 

[Tigger]

There are some cheaper web based programs out there that might be an option (Image Trend is one I believe). While you can't use them without internet, at least the final product will be able to be data mined. And if you're service is reasonably slow, writing them back at the station is not a big deal.

 

[Old Tracker]

Thanks Tigger, I'm making notes of these opportunities.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I don't think an ePCR system thats not NEMSIS compliant is still available. And I think just about all of em are cloud based, with a web component. A dedicated app on a tablet or laptop is certainly easier though.

 

[cruiseforever]

I didn't know anyone was still doing written PCRs.. How do you guys submit your runs to your State?

Still use paper at one of the places I work. We run the PCR thru a scanner that turns the PCR into a EPCR. Then the info can be transfered to the state.