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Better use of triaging software is one way forward easing a desperate shortage of paramedics in UK ambulance trusts.
Making better use of clinical decision support software such as Plain Healthcare’s TAS Odyssey system would go some way to lessening the pressure, the company’s Chris Coyne said.
According to the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel and Serving Paramedics, the current crisis means that in some areas of the country a paramedic response cannot be guaranteed.
Plain Healthcare’s Head of Sales and Marketing Chris Coyne said: “While there are many factors that have caused these concerns about the service, such as the lack of fully-trained paramedics, there are other ways in which the shortage can be approached. I would suggest better utilisation of triaging.
“Our TAS Odyssey clinical decision support software has been successful in a number of ambulance areas in better organising when a paramedic is needed. Triaging out the least-urgent category C calls means they are not ones that a paramedic will race to and the valuable resource of paramedics is saved for the most-critical cases.
“One of our TAS Odyssey customers recently saved 6,936 unnecessary ambulance journeys in a year through successfully triaging category C calls, the value of which is estimated at £1.97m.”
The savings have provided funding for more emergency care practitioners (ECP) and community paramedics.
