Three Ways We Strive to Improve the Lives of ED Doctors Through Innovative Communication

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Shane Elmore for writing today's blog post. Shane served as Pulsara's Vice President for Clinical Innovation and Development from 2013-2022. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about how we strive to improve the lives of ED Nurses and the patients they serve. This week, I want to focus on ED Doctors (did you know Pulsara was founded by one?). In this post, my aim is to help ED Doctors understand how a communication platform like Pulsara can make their lives better.

1. Keep things moving
   The beauty of a robust communication platform like Pulsara is that when communication is no longer siloed, all parties have all information about an emergent patient, all at the same time. For example, when that potential STEMI patient who presents with classic symptoms gets an ECG in the back of the ambulance, the medics can instantly get those findings, and a real-time video stream, into your hands in the ED, even if they're miles away. 
   
   This allows you to confirm, before the patient even arrives, that this patient doesn't need an ED visit — they need a cath lab. Getting all team members on the same page as early as possible saves time for the emergent patient, and saves space and resources in the ED for future patients. 
   
   
2. Bolster accountability
   It's no secret that communicating with specialists from other departments can be challenging. Spending time making multiple calls or pages in an attempt to each other is frustrating and wasteful. Once you finally do get the specialist on the phone, miscommunications are commonplace and lead to a he-said, she-said disagreement. Besides, how do you even determine who is on call in the first place? 
   
   With Pulsara, all clinical staff can schedule their next date and time to go on-call and off-call, eliminating the guesswork for your team. All communication is captured and visible to everyone else on the case, right in the platform. Eliminating these communication barriers allows you to get back to treating your patients. 
   
   
3. Gain Access to the whole story
   Performing patient care in the emergency setting is a lot like putting together a puzzle. After you complete your assessment, you form a few pictures in your mind about what could be going on. But getting that picture to come to life is especially difficult when your puzzle has a missing piece. Sometimes that piece was something that the paramedic told the nurse during the initial pre-hospital report, but that never made it to the next member of the care team. Other times, it might something said at the bedside when the nurse or tech is getting the report. An accurate time of symptom onset, for example, can be almost impossible information to obtain, even when the patient is lying right in front of you.
   
   With Pulsara, all of the pieces of the puzzle are captured and stored where all other members of the care team can find them. From the moment EMS activated the designated patient channel, you are in open communication with those who are in direct care with the patient. Even when EMS is long gone, you can still go back and use pre-hospital information to complete the puzzle. Sometimes we don't know how valuable the information we have is until we need it later. 

Pulsara is a communication platform that connects teams across organizations. Improving your life through innovative communication is why we exist.