In what it says is a first for Africa, Netcare 911 has introduced a telehealth video call service to help callers at the scene of a medical emergency to correctly perform CPR until paramedics arrive.
Zita van Zyl, critical care operations manager at Netcare 911, says the new service puts life-saving skills in the hands of people have never performed CPR .
When a caller reports an emergency requiring CPR to Netcare 911’s national emergency operations centre (EOC), the coordinator sends the caller a link via SMS which connects to a live secure video platform. The caller clicks on the link to connect with the Netcare 911 emergency care providers, enabling them to see and hear each other.
Next, a second qualified healthcare provider, such as a registered nurse or paramedic, demonstrates the relevant CPR technique for an adult, child or an infant on an appropriately sized mannequin representing the patient at the designated and specially equipped Telehealth CPR station at Netcare’s EOC.
Concurrently, a case manager coaches the caller to copy their actions to perform CPR correctly on the patient at the scene.
The two-way video link enables the caller to more accurately follow the CPR technique required, while the ‘CPR coach’ provides informed and detailed feedback to the caller to guide their CPR efforts.
According to Van Zyl, this makes it possible for the caller to replicate the CPR actions, with the necessary depth and rate of chest compressions to keep the patient’s blood circulating to their vital organs until professional help arrives on scene.
The video link also enables EOC coordinators and healthcare practitioners to assess the patient remotely.
Gaining confidence to get involved
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not the only way to perform CPR, says Shalen Ramduth, director of operations at Netcare 911.
“Few people are aware that CPR does not require mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, as recent findings show ‘hands only’ CPR can be as effective as the traditional technique involving giving the patient rescue breaths,” explains Ramduth. "It is hoped that this service will give more South Africans the confidence to get involved and help a person in need. This can buy precious time to save the heart and brain by keeping the blood supply moving around the patient’s body until paramedics are on scene to take over, which can improve outcomes exponentially.”
The Netcare 911 live video telehealth service is provided through the secure Netcare VirtualCare platform, with all data encrypted to protect the caller, ensure patient privacy and protect confidential information, the company says. Using the platform does not require an app to be downloaded.
The video service can be accessed by calling Netcare 911’s EOC on 082 911.
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