The Emergency Medical Care System (SAME) of the City of Buenos Aires implemented a video call system to provide immediate medical care and accompany the patient before the arrival of the ambulance.
The SAME of the City of Buenos Aires in Argentina, incorporated a telemedicine system in its services, which will provide care in case of emergencies through video calls. The service includes medical assistance, transmission of clinical information and accompaniment until the arrival of the ambulance to where the patient is.
It is the first time that such a tool has been applied in emergency services in Argentina. After calling the emergency telephone number (107) and requesting support, a professional provides assistance by video call if required. In this way, it is possible to inform and give instructions on how to care for the affected patient while the ambulance arrives at the scene.
“Telemedicine is essential for a pre-hospital emergency system, as we have in the City of Buenos Aires, because it provides us with a lot of information. And the emergency is information. The more one has, the better the response and the team that is sent to the place”, explained Alberto Crescenti, director of SAME.
The system works as follows: The citizen calls 107 to request emergency care, the operator asks about symptoms and categorizes them by degree of urgency. He then sends a text message with a link for a video call with the applicant. And in a matter of minutes, applicants have professional and specialized remote care in emergencies.
Thanks to the video tool, the operator and specialist can give instructions on how to assist the person in need while the ambulance is on its way. "The objective we are pursuing is to reduce to practically nothing the waiting time for patient care", explained the coordinator of Telemedicine, Patricia Delnero.
