SUPPORTING THE FUTURE FORCE
patients at the same time; this would be thrown out of the helicopter.”
Tis 2017 test led to the program “failing early.” Following that failure, a team of engineers working within the Warfighter Health, Performance and Evacuation Project Management Office changed direction and initiated a new MEDHUB concept to reduce the burden on medics and to alert and prepare a hospi- tal for en-route patients through telemonitoring. With the help of acquisition professionals and industry partners, the program underwent a novel acquisition strategy that entailed rapid agile prototyping and accelerating the program schedule.
While investigating the significant medical documentation gap on the battlefield, the product team discovered additional hindrances that exist during medevac missions and patient care in the deployed environment. Field hospitals lack situational awareness of incoming patients’ injuries and treatments because of limited communication networks between ambulances and hospitals. Te effects are felt at the hospital when the medic must provide a short verbal report in a noisy, high-stress environment at time of arrival. Tese short verbal reports may not be compre- hensive and are not available for further reference by the attending physician.
‘TIME IS TISSUE’ MEDHUB was designed to automate and improve communi- cation. Today’s MEDHUB system leverages wearable medical devices cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to streamline communication between medics and receiving field hospitals.
Te MEDHUB system includes a dashboard display at the receiv- ing hospital, so clinicians can identify the number and status of inbound patients and the estimated time of arrival, instead of relying solely on the verbal reports from a medic. MEDHUB alerts the hospital before patients arrive, earlier than the current radio call, which gives hospital personnel extra time to plan by gathering the supplies and manpower necessary to effectively treat the patients once they arrive. MEDHUB simplifies patient care by providing a vital signs monitor for every patient, so the medic does not have to switch monitors between patients, and it provides additional drug safety through dosage calculators and visual cues for the medic.
“Why is this important? Because time is tissue,” said Lt. Col. Christian Cook, deputy project manager for the Warfighter Health, Performance and Evacuation Project Management Office.
“If receiving facilities know what types of injuries they need to treat—what type of blood they need to thaw—they can better prepare to provide emergency medical care when the ambulance or helicopter arrives with the patients.”
As a former medevac pilot, Cook understands the harsh reality of emergency medical evacuations and the importance of time in saving lives. “Minutes may be the difference between life and death,” he said.
SAVING TIME AND MONEY Troughout the acquisition process for MEDHUB, USAMMDA project and program managers oversee cost, schedule and perfor- mance. In keeping with the AFC principles, the MEDHUB product team focused on meeting an aggressive schedule through frequent operational evaluations. A new MEDHUB prototype was built and tested every six months for Soldiers to evaluate.
COLLECTION POINT
With MEDHUB, medics can use a tablet to complete a Tactical Combat Casualty Care Card electronically. At the receiving hospital, clinicians can see the data for incoming patients and ensure that they have proper staff and equipment on hand for treatment. (Photo by Ashley Force, USAMMDA Public Affairs)
https://asc.ar my.mil
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