Doctors' offices and hospitals are often already overloaded during normal operation. Now the corona virus is causing another rush. A technology solution for emergency workers could now help to keep the medical infrastructure running in corona stress.
Düsseldorf (dpa) - A new type of video chat service for emergency responders, which has so far been used primarily in rescue centers, is also intended to relieve medical practices and hospitals in the future. It is also said to help break chains of infection in the coronavirus pandemic.
The existing EmergencyEye system of the start-up Corevas from Grevenbroich (North Rhine-Westphalia) was expanded with the support of the telecommunications group Vodafone so that it can also be used by doctors for an initial assessment from a distance in the future, the companies announced on Wednesday in Düsseldorf.
"EmergencyEye enables a qualified initial diagnosis from a distance, with visual impressions, simply by using the camera function of the mobile phone," said Vodafone Germany boss Hannes Ametsreiter. Based on the first impressions, the doctors could then decide whether a test or further treatment was necessary. "You can then also provide advice in a conversation to ensure that there is more security here without the risk of contagion for anyone in this entire chain."
The system requires a smartphone for the patient, but does not require the installation of an app. In a phone call to the doctor or the hospital, the patient only has to provide the helper with his cell phone number and then receives a link via SMS that he has to tap. Then a web application opens in the browser on the smartphone, via which a video stream can be transmitted to the helpers. The patient is asked whether he can temporarily activate his video signal, the microphone of the mobile phone and, if necessary, the geoposition for the helpers. In the doctor's office, in the hospital or in a rescue center, a PC that is connected to the Internet is sufficient for the application.
As a technology partner, Vodafone ensures the connection of the system to the mobile network and the sending of the SMS. The system works mobile even when the monthly data volume of the caller is almost used up, because the video chat is not counted towards the billing volume across providers.
In the current situation, Corevas is making its system available free of charge, announced company founder Guenter Huhle, who is himself a doctor. A business model for the medical sector is still being developed. In emergency services, Corevas charges four cents for each emergency video chat.
Huhle and his wife had the idea to set up the system after a motorcycle accident in France. They had little knowledge of the scene of the accident and had difficulty communicating with the rescue workers in French. "It took 90 minutes for help to come. After the time in the hospital, we in the family considered how we could use the cell phone to avoid such situations." EmergencyEye's chat also enables real-time translation from currently ten languages, including German, English, French, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew and Russian.
Homepage EmergencyEye