If time is of the essence anywhere, it’s probably most so in emergency services. Imagine calling an ambulance and then endlessly waiting, having no idea about where it is now or how much time it will take to arrive; or being an ambulance driver who is doing their best to find the shortest and least busy roads but has no reliable data to make the decision; or even being the ambulance dispatcher and having no system to determine which one of the ambulances can reach the patient fastest. All these things sound like a thing of the past due to the arrival of modern technology, especially GPS.
GPS, or “Global Positioning System”, is a reliable technology to determine the real-time location of any vehicle. It has become a boon for emergency service ambulances because of the assistance it provides in delivering accurate and timely responses in case of emergencies. It has had a tremendous positive impact on the speed and quality of EMS delivery. How? you ask. Let’s find out.
With GPS in ambulances, you can:
Find an ambulance that’s nearest to you.
With GPS, the ambulances can be easily tracked, which makes it easier for the central administration to find and send the nearest ambulance to the patient at the earliest when an ambulance booking is done online or on call.
Get estimates of arrival and turnaround times.
As the GPS constantly tracks the ambulance, it can give an estimate of the arrival and turnaround time of the ambulance. As the EMS is highly time-sensitive, such estimates can help both the patient’s loved ones, as well as medical professionals, make crucial decisions accurately.
Determine the shortest route.
With the help of GPS trackers, the driver is able to determine the shortest or the least busy routes to reach the patient and hospital in the shortest time, saving those precious minutes that are crucial in any medical emergency.
Send real-time data to hospitals.
When an ambulance is equipped with a GPS tracking system, the hospital is able to see the vehicle’s current location and speed. This feature will help them prepare in a timely manner with the required equipment and medicine to provide the best possible care to the patient.
Easily maintain the recommended temperature.
Ambulances carry many medicines and other equipment that needs to be kept at a certain temperature. Many GPS tracking systems also feature temperature sensors that send notifications of temperature changes, making maintenance of equipment etc. easier.
Get assistance when needed.
Modern GPS tracking also comes with in-built emergency features such as manual SOS buttons, vibration alerts, over-speed alerts, forceful braking alerts, etc., that keep authorities updated and, if any assistance is needed by the ambulance, it can be dispatched immediately.
And this list is not even it. There are countless big and small benefits of adopting technology in emergency medical services. GPS itself can change the game by not only providing the above-discussed advantages but also creating a sense of reliability for the responders as well as the patient’s loved ones.
Remember that innovation is the ability to see change as an opporuntity & what better opportunity could we look out for, other than the safety & best interest of our loved ones.