An ambulance service in Sri Lanka has equipped its EMTs with a mixed-reality headset to help deliver emergency care with the help of a live-feed doctor in the crucial moments before a patient is admitted to hospital.
Singapore-based digital healthcare startup Mediwave, part of Wavenet Telecomms, has rolled out its Emergency Response Suite to Emergency Response Technicians working for Sri Lankan pre-hospital ambulance service 1990 Suwa Seriya, delivering what's claimed to be the "world's first mixed-reality and AI-powered connected ambulance."
When a medical emergency is logged at a 1990 Command and Control Center, the EMT sent out in the connected ambulance could be wearing a Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset. This will see the technician poking wildly in the air to access menus and systems out front of the wearer, but invisible to onlookers.
The setup employs 5G wireless communication technology to link the emergency personnel to medical data on the patient, as well as any local monitoring or diagnostic equipment like an ECG or a blood pressure monitor, while also establishing a live video link to a physician if needed for the provision of on-site care.
The remote doctor also benefits from instant access to on-site diagnostics via a terminal at the hospital, and can instruct personnel on immediate actions or medications needed. Mediwave says that the system features a speech-to-text, AI-powered transcriber to cater for instant updates to Electronic Patient Care Records, and the ambulance can also be directed to the nearest or best-equipped hospital for further treatment.
"We take pride in powering Sri Lanka's sole pre-hospital emergency ambulance service, 1990 Suwa Seriya," said Mediwave's CEO, Suren Pinto. "With a legacy of success and collaboration with health industry veterans, we are at the intersection of AR and AI. The heartbeat of our pioneering efforts is the first-of-its-kind Emergency Response Suite, seamlessly elevating the efficiency of emergency services."
The promo video below outlines the system's capabilities.
Source: Mediwave
