Deploying the Red Cross Red Crescent Health Information System (RCHIS) into a Type-One Fixed EMT: How the Use of a Custom Built Application for Electronic Medical Records and Data Reporting Improves Patient Care and Mandatory Reporting.

Abstract

Introduction:RCHIS is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Health Information System (HIS) that has been purpose-built for use by Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Emergency Response Units (ERUs), which are the equivalent of Type 1 (fixed and mobile) and Type 2 facilities in the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) classification.Method:A three day in-person super user training was held with 13 participants: 9 first aid volunteers, 2 nurses and 2 medical doctors. Seven of the delegates had experience using an EMR. These super users served as trainers for staff at the pilot.The pilot occurred with the Portuguese Red Cross (PRC) for the Peregrinação de Fátima, where 200,000 people were in attendance. The PRC was part of a wider coordination cell with the civil defense authority, who required live reporting from the three Type 1 fixed clinics PRC had set up.Results:In total there were 77 user accounts, of which, 243 patients were consulted with and either discharged or referred throughout the four day pilot.The delegates shared feedback directly and through a survey. 88% stated that RCHIS was ‘very easy’ to use with the majority of delegates requiring less than 20 minutes of training to be using the application and inputting patient data related to their user role. Additionally, after their training 95% of delegates stated they had sufficient training to use RCHIS to its full extent. Informal feedback from delegates was hugely positive, indicating that it was improving patient care and also continuity of care when a patient returned the next day.The civil defense authorities were able to utilize the real-time reporting to assist in their operational response. The application was well received by the wider civil defense authority.Conclusion:The first RCHIS pilot was very successful from both a technical and organizational perspective.