New technology shares emergency patient information

PROVIDENCE – Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center are the first hospitals in Rhode Island to utilize Twiage, a new technology that enables first responders to send crucial information about a patient’s status, symptoms, and needed care to a hospital before arrival. On April 11, EMS teams from Providence rescue used Twiage to communicate with both the Roger Williams and Fatima Hospital Emergency Departments while en route with patients.

Nine cities and towns in Rhode Island have already trained their EMS professionals to utilize Twiage, and those rescue teams are using the tech- nology to better communicate with the Emergency Departments at both CharterCARE hospitals.

“My members love Twiage,” said Providence EMS rescue chief Zach Kenyon. “Having an app on the phone makes it so easy and fast, which frees up valuable time for patient care.”

With the Twiage app, EMS teams can send videos or photos of patients and information like symptoms, medications, or tests like an EKG performed on the rescue. All of this information can help the Emergency Department team better assess needs while preparing for the patient’s arrival. Twiage also allows EMS professionals to provide accurate GPS tracking of their vehicle so hospitals have a more accurate idea of arrival time.

“Timely care is essential – and in some cases, lifesaving – when it comes to emergency medicine,” said Rebecca Broccoli, associate director, emergency services, CharterCARE. “Real-time information and GPS tracking for incoming rescues allows us to better prepare for an ambulance’s arrival so we can accelerate potentially lifesaving emergency care.”

Armed with this information in advance, staff in the Emergency Department can map out a course of action for patients before their arrival. The

On April 12, the Providence EMS crew became the first to use Twiage at Roger Williams Medical Center. EMS team members from the first two crews that utilized Twiage are pictured here with Demetra Ouellette, left, president, Roger Williams Medical...