As Susan Pizzi, RN, MS, Community Health educator for Chester County Hospital, wrapped up a recent education program, she added something new: She pulled up her Smart911 profile online and showed it to the class. Smart911 is a nationwide digital service that makes sure the local 9-1-1 center —and first responders — automatically receive information that can help them get the right care to the right place quickly. Since early 2018, CCH has partnered with the Chester County Department of Emergency Services to get the word out to the community.
Smart911 profiles can include as much — or as little — information as people want. This includes medical history, medications and emergency contacts, their cars’ makes and models, and the names and even photos of people and pets in the household. They can also include instructions about how to quickly access their homes or workplaces in case of emergency, and multiple phone numbers, including a cell phone. This is a key feature, as 75 percent of the 9-1-1 calls made in Chester County in 2017 came from cell phones. Unlike a landline emergency call, a cell phone call can’t pinpoint your exact location.
The profile is available only to the 9-1-1 agent who takes the call and then passes the information along to the emergency medical services (EMS) team. If someone travels outside of Chester County, the profile will show up if the local emergency response center uses Smart911. John Haynes of Chester County Emergency Services notes that it is part of a national initiative called Next Generation 911, which aims to better harness the power of information technology.
“When someone uses your phone to call 9-1-1, your medical information is right there. Maybe you have diabetes or are on a specific medication. The person who calls might not know that, but the paramedics will,” Pizzi said. For older adults at risk for falling, this added information could be life-saving.
Ralph Smith, BSN, RN, coordinator of the Chest Pain Center and a member of the outreach team with Pizzi, said the 9-1-1 Center is a critical part of the Center’s system of care. “When I say ‘system of care,’ I mean that to include the public,” he said. “The sooner someone realizes they are having a cardiovascular event and the sooner they get help, the better outcome they have.”
“The training of the operators is top notch,” he continued. “We can help them provide an even better system of care by urging people not just to call 9-1-1 but to sign up for Smart911. You can give better care to patients when you know their history.”
Smart911 is a powerful tool — but only if residents sign up for it. Haynes noted that about 30 residents per month were signing up in early 2018, but that number spiked to 77 in August. He and his team are now working on technology that would allow 9-1-1 operators to create a secure link to a person’s Smart911 profile that could be sent directly to EMS and the Emergency Department at Chester County Hospital.
Smart911 is now included in the hospital’s educational programs on fall prevention, diabetes, and heart failure. “The better prepared hospital staff can be when someone arrives to the Emergency Department is only going to help our citizens,” Haynes says. “Every time a person walks out of the hospital and can get back to their lives, that is a success story.”