Live video link between ambulance and hospital promises better care for emergency patients

Live video link between ambulance and hospital promises better care for emergency patients

Amsterdam UMC, Ambulance Amsterdam and KPN today present the first Spoedzorg Connect (Emergency Care Connect) ambulance, an ambulance equipped with a live video link to the Emergency Department (ED). This innovative technology should improve the communication and cooperation between the ambulance team and the Emergency Department in life-threatening situations. The Spoedzorg Connect ambulance is the tangible result of an intensive collaboration between Ambulance Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC and KPN Health.

Lotte Terwindt, cardio-anesthesiologist at Amsterdam UMC and initiator of Spoedzorg Connect: "When a patient with a life-threatening condition is in the ambulance, on the way to the Emergency Department, you want all the care providers involved to be able to function as one team. In the current situation, there is a clear break in the care chain: it's only during the transfer at the hospital that the reception team get a full picture of the patient's condition."

Same picture of the patient

With the live video link, the hospital reception team can already see the patient during the journey, so they can prepare better and take over treatment faster. If the patient's condition changes en route, the care providers in the hospital are immediately aware of this via the live video link and receive all the crucial information about the patient straightaway. Spoedzorg Connect enables a smooth handover.
Dave Bouman, ambulanceverpleegkundige Ambulance Amsterdam: "We willen de zorgteams van de acute zorg eerder samenbrengen. In de ambulance onderweg naar de Spoedeisende hulp en op de SEH zelf wordt onder hoge druk gewerkt en moeten er snel beslissingen worden genomen. Het is fijn als beide zorgteams dan over hetzelfde beeld van de patiënt beschikken."

Equipping the Spoedzorg Connect ambulance

The Spoedzorg Connect ambulance is equipped with three discreet cameras and a monitor with a microphone and a speaker. The ambulance uses the KPN-developed Spoedzorg Connect platformand the 5G network. The solution meets the strictest security requirements.

To gain experience with the new way of working, the Ambulance Amsterdam stations in Purmerend and Hoofddorp will be the first to use Spoedzorg Connect ambulances in early 2025. With those experiences, Spoedzorg Connect can be further optimized and can be considered for a further roll-out, also nationwide.

Watch the video about the Spoedzorg Connect ambulance: