The new video system at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) will help identify the type of drugs and treatment the patient needs, allowing the hospital staff to advise the paramedics where to take the patient.
Dr. Keale Metcalf, consultant stroke physician at NNUH, said, “This innovation is helping to provide patients with access to high level stroke care, wherever they are, ensuring they are then given the appropriate treatment and investigations as quickly as possible.”
He continued, “We’re able to pre-alert our CT scanner so patients can be sent straight for a scan… it is therefore also reducing unnecessary transfers to the ED and the burden on the ambulance service.
The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is working with the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) on the new pilot, with the video triage system having been rolled out in nine sites across the East of England.
Already, some of the results have been described as “excellent,” with the system leading to a “significant reduction” in arrival times, according to Brittany Wells, clinical lead for stroke video triage at EEAST.
“Feedback from patients has been very positive, with patients feeling that their specialist care has begun before they have even left their home,” Mrs Wells said.
It comes after an artificial intelligence (AI) system has been rolled out at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to assess stroke imaging.
