Our next Quarterly Triage Day (QTD) Drill will begin at 0800 Hours, March 9, 2018, and continue until 0800 Hours the next day.   Since our last QTD, there have been numerous MCIs around the U.S.  All hospital emergency department and EMS personnel must be able to quickly, easily, and effectively use all of our MCI tools.  A Job Aid specifically for this drill is attached.

 

As we did last time, we’ll include use of the Regional MCI Talk Groups for all EMS that are on the MARCS radio system, and this time we’re adding in OHTrac.  See the Key Points below for details.

 

Key Points:

·        On QTDs, every patient in every ED will receive a Triage Ribbon and Green Triage Tag.  In most cases, those should be placed by EMS.

·        Actually assign each patient a SALT triage category (most will be yellow or green).

·        Apply a Triage Ribbon using the Ribbon Kit.

·        On QTDs, use GREEN Triage “Drill” Tags that have been distributed around the region.  For the most part, only Medics and Ambulances will have the GREEN Drill Tags, but first responder apparatus can and should apply a ribbon before the Medic arrives.

·        DO NOT USE the “live” White Triage Tags for the drill.  Those are only for real world incidents.

·        Fill out the Triage Tag with actual patient information.  Hospitals will manage HIPAA material when EMS turns the tags over to them.

·        On QTDs, EMS must complete a full runsheet on each patient.

·        As promised, this drill will incorporate additional communications tools including OHTrac and the GDAHA Surgenet MCI page:

o   Although in a real-world event, the page should be updated immediately and at least every 20 minutes, for QTD Drills, each hospital should update the GDAHA Surgenet MCI page once per eight hours.  You only need to update the page for capabilities only, not for numbers of patients received.

o   An OHTrac incident will be created by GDAHA.  We will notify you of the name of that incident.  Everyone will use the same incident.

o   OHTrac use is optional for EMS.  All hospitals are strongly encouraged to enter at least some patients into OHTrac each shift. 

o   Information about OHTrac and the OHTrac app is at the bottom of this email.

·        MCI training materials (with continuing education credits) for both EMS and hospitals continue to be available at http://gmvemsc.org/training-mcicomm.html.

·        EMS agencies with MARCS radios should communicate with hospitals on EVERY RUN for two periods (a total of four hours out of the 24).

o   The first two hour block will be 0800 – 1000 (8 – 10 AM) during the day; the second will be from 2000 – 2200 (8 – 10 PM) during the night.

o   During those blocks, every hospital in the geographic area will monitor the MCI Talk Group

o   NOTE:  the EMS agency’s location has no impact on this; it is based solely on the destination hospital.

o   During the morning two hour block, EMS crews transporting to HOSPITALS south of Interstate 70 will call using HSR3MCI Talk Group, except for hospitals in Butler and Warren Counties.

§  For all hospitals in Butler and Warren County, use HSR6 MCI Talk Group during the block from 8 AM to 10 AM.

o   During the evening two hour block, EMS crews transporting to HOSPITALS north of Interstate 70 will call using HSR3MCI

o   Each EMS agency calling during those blocks will make brief, MCI-style reports to the hospital over the appropriate Talk Group

§  The only items in an MCI radio report should be:  number of patients, triage color, and a two or three word description of medical issue, such as “chest injury.”

§  e.g., “Wayne Hospital, this is Greenville Medic 591 en route with one Yellow, possible fractured ankle.”

o   Avoid transmitting HIPAA protected health information (PHI)

o   If more extensive information or physician orders are needed, the Medic Crew will call by cell phone or use the hospital’s regular radio channel

o   MCI Talk Group need not be used if crew workload does not permit.

 

On behalf of Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA), Greater Miami Valley EMS Council (GMVEMSC), Dayton MMRS, and others, thank you participating and helping to improve our regional preparedness for MCIs.

 

 

 

OHTrac

A statewide patient tracking program called OHTrac has been in use for years by hospitals, and is now available for EMS use. An app has been designed to make OHTrac easier to use.  Apple and Android versions are available for free download.  There is no charge for access to the OHTrac system.  There are only three required fields to enter a patient using the OHTrac APP:

1.      the triage number, which can be scanned in from the bar-code on the triage tag,

2.      triage level, and

3.      patient gender.

 

The OHTrac APP has been piloted by fire/EMS responders from multiple regions in the state.  The APP is intuitive, and only requires 30-40 minutes of training using the PowerPoint at the link below. 

The materials available at the link will also refer you to the appropriate Regional Hospital Coordinator who will be able to provide you with a local hospital contact and access to the OHTrac system.

Click HERE to download a PowerPoint presentation about the app.