Name: Hannah Maxwell
Agency: Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS)
Location: Belfast, United Kingdom
Country: Northern Ireland
Service Area: 5,455 square miles (14,139 km2)
- What do you like most about ProQA?
How much it supports our EMDs to use their knowledge of MPDS to care for their patients. It has Fast Tracks and little tricks and hints to help us get to where we need to be, and it supports us in ensuring the decisions we make are in the best interest of the patient. Things like typing “M” into the number of patients field and filling the rest of Case Entry for us sounds like something small but it’s those little things that save time and allow us to focus on the trickier stuff. Prompts when we select a Chief Complaint that may not fit what we’ve already told ProQA help us feel a bit safer.
- Can you think of a specific example when ProQA helped you? Tell us about an experience, a memory, or an anecdote.
As an EMD once said to me: “Well, we couldn’t do anything without ProQA.” I think this shows just how much we value it within our control room. One specific time I recall feeling well supported was a call for a Road Traffic Collision. The patient was unconscious, and the caller told me they were breathing fine. When the Breathing Verification Diagnostic was completed, however, it identified the patient’s breathing was agonal. Without this tool CPR wouldn’t have been started as the caller had not expressed any concerns about their breathing or any description of gasping, etc. The tool allowed me to confidently give CPR instructions and explain to my caller that we needed to start compressions.
- What do non-users need to know about the AMPDS and/or ProQA?
Something I get asked a lot is: “So, does ProQA tell you which protocol to go to and which link to follow? Does it do it all for you?” While ProQA is a very clever system and has safety nets in there to help us, EMDs still need to have an in-depth knowledge of the MPDS. They are skilled at what they do. What really makes an emergency call go well is the combination of an excellent system and a fabulous EMD!
- Do you have any recommendations for other users?
I think reviewing the functionality of the items in the ProQA toolbar is a great thing to do. We as EMDs become so focused on the main screen in ProQA we sometimes forget about the handy tools we have at our disposal. The target tool and Sudden Arrest are two tools I think are underrated. The target tool is especially brilliant when our patient’s condition changes, or we get lost in our PAI panels—it can really save the day.
