How can we improve communication between crew in the air and medical experts on the ground during inflight emergencies.
A digital tool to guide the crew member’s actions, capture critical patient data and ensure a clear, accurate and timely information exchange with medical support on the ground.
MedAire, an International SOS company, provides aviation clients with fully integrated medical and security services. As the world leader in this space, they offer 24/7 real-time access to emergency room doctors any time of day, from anywhere in the world.
A key part of these services is MedLink. In the event that a passenger is injured or unwell, cabin crew can contact MedAire’s team of expert doctors to receive guidance on how to navigate the situation.
The opportunity to leverage in-flight WiFi was clear: Medlink for the digital age. Working with the MedAire team, the Journey team considered the design from every end user’s context:
Ensuring the passenger can receive optimal care in a respectful, sensitive way – despite the setting; equipping crew members with limited medical training with everything they need to provide optimal care to the passenger, and optimal information to the ground support teams; providing MedAire operations staff with efficient, accurate data and documentation with which to make decisions and inform medical support on the ground; creating a channel through which MedAire medical specialists could provide instruction with absolute clarity.
The challenge
Whilst an essential service, and one that has saved 100s of lives, there were areas for improvement. Medlink calls could only be made from the cockpit of the aircraft, not from beside the passenger in need; valuable time was being lost in the associated back and forth. Audio quality could also be poor, impacting clarity of communication and the accuracy of the patient information required by the operations teams on the ground.
The solution
The Journey team designed an app to help deliver the best possible patient outcomes. To get the information needed as fast as possible, we created a unique pathway to facilitate the process. The app facilitates a direct line of communication from the patient’ side, where the crew member can speak directly to the MedAire operations and medical teams at the push of a button.
Adaptive questions enable the crew member to quickly and accurately assess and capture the patient’s symptoms, medical background and other key information required by the MedAire operations team.
The app facilitates a direct line of communication from the patient’ side, where the crew member can speak directly to the MedAire operations and medical teams at the push of a button. A timer helps the crew keep track of the time elapsed, and if the patient is unresponsive, a step-by-step checklist is provided to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken.
The in-flight app has made a huge difference to the accuracy, efficiency and quality of the care that passengers receive via MedAire’s MedLink service. Feedback from all of the users from the crew to the MedAire teams on the ground has been universally positive.
Journey continue to partner strategically with MedAire and the wider International SOS business, using our award-winning digital design capabilities to evolve their life-saving products and services.
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