Sweden is improving its emergency healthcare efforts with Paratus, a modular solution built on Handheld’s Algiz 10X rugged tablet. Swedish emergency responders are using the Algiz 10X emergency response tablet to send critical status updates to hospital workers as they happen, increasing emergency healthcare efficiency and improving patient outcomes.

Paratus is a module-based information management system for emergency responders designed by Swedish security and defense company Saab. Swedish ambulance workers use Paratus Mobile System software on Algiz 10X rugged tablets to navigate to accident sites, classify and monitor patient conditions and treatment, and report information back to emergency dispatchers and hospital staff in the form of status updates.

Algiz 10X units running Paratus Mobile System have been installed in Swedish ambulances. Most recently, Saab deployed Algiz 10X rugged tablets equipped with SITHS smart card readers. SITHS (Secure IT for health care) is based on a two-factor electronic authentication protocol and is the current standard for all National Quality Registries in Sweden. The healthcare tablets can be operated while vehicles are in transit, or undocked for handheld use directly at a treatment site.

“The Paratus solution assists and simplifies work for ambulance staff by providing a single system that can coordinate and manage all the equipment and information necessary for an assignment,” says Antoine Haddad, Paratus product owner at Saab.

Reporting for Duty

Paratus Mobile System communicates directly with Paratus modules on hospital computers. When an ambulance enters service, a dispatcher can use a desktop module to send workers new assignments over TETRA, the European communications infrastructure used by public safety groups.

When ambulance staff receive an assignment, they acknowledge and accept it within Paratus; then the Algiz 10X automatically displays navigation information powered by its built-in u-blox GPS receiver and Paratus mapping software. Emergency medical dispatchers are able to monitor the location of the ambulance as it moves toward the accident site. When a response vehicle reaches its destination, workers use the emergency response tablet to confirm arrival.

“The solution integrates everything responders need to receive assignments, report status updates and navigate to response sites,” Haddad says.

In addition to progress and location-based status updates, ambulance workers use Paratus Mobile System to quickly and easily record patient treatment data and initiate transfer to a hospital. Simply touching a button on the Algiz 10X tablet communicates relevant details to the correct emergency departments.

These status reports may include successful retrieval of a patient, selection of a hospital destination and details of the patient’s transfer to another care unit. The healthcare tablet records and collects all treatment details into a secure, confidential data log that can be submitted to the patient’s doctors for review.

“The ambulance data reports are deemed so valuable that they are used by doctors throughout the entire treatment process,” says Jerker Hellström, CEO of Handheld Group. “The improved and extended patient care history is filed and used for overall analyses, evaluations and decision support.”

Once a patient has been successfully treated and, in most cases, transferred to a hospital, ambulance workers confirm task completion on the Algiz 10X and Paratus displays the vehicle status as ready for a new assignment.

Speed And Reliability When Every Minute Counts

For emergency fieldworkers, the success of a complete information management system depends on the technology running that system. Real-time data can’t wait for slow, clunky or fragile computers, or shaky wireless connectivity. And without fast processing speed, reliability in harsh environments, an easy-to-use interface and robust connectivity capabilities, even a leading-edge system such as Paratus may be no more helpful than less advanced solutions.

But the innovative system has a suitable complement in the Algiz 10X. This rugged tablet features a quad-core processor and generous expandable storage space and memory. It’s built for harsh handling and use in outdoor environments, so it can be undocked at a moment’s notice and taken into any outdoor condition, from bright direct sunlight to freezing rain.

About Gamma Solutions.

Gamma Solutions Pty Ltd is an Australian owned company, based in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Founded in 1992, the company provides all the components of mobile computing, RFID and data collection systems such as portable terminals, barcode scanners, barcode printers and wireless networks; as well as professional services including systems analysis, design and implementation, middleware software and training.

Join to newsletter.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest buzz.

Featured products.

Need a personalized solution?

Let us help you find what you need!

Contact Us