Ambulance-Hospital Paging System (AHPS)

The AHPS enables timely and efficient real-time communication between hospitals and ambulances to reduce deaths related to delayed attendance

In 2021, an accident occurred in the high-density suburbs of Mufakose (Harare, Zimbabwe) where a little boy was hit by a speeding commuter omnibus. The ambulance rushed the patient to Parirenyatwa Hospital, a central hospital, and on arrival, they were told that there were no doctors present as they had not come for work owing to emancipation. The ambulance had to re-route to Harare hospital and unfortunately, the child was pronounced dead on arrival. The child passed on en-route to Harare hospital.

The mortality rate of ambulance-delivered patients in Zimbabwe, who could have been cured with on time treatments is on a rise.  Delayed attendance can be due to the hospitals’ unpreparedness for a case of that nature that is brought in by the ambulance; or due to having to re-route the ambulance due to non-availability of hospital bed-space or doctors present. 

There are also factors that could result in delayed attendance. The ambulance could take a route that is longer and congested; The patient may get critical on board beyond the ambulance technicians ability; hospitals may not have the relevant equipment and drug supply; power cuts which have been a major challenge in Zimbabwe  could affect timely response to carry out certain procedures; 

A web-based/application-based Ambulance-Hospital Paging System. The system will be able to:

• Page nearby hospitals, that is to alert them that they have a patient on board. Hospitals, basing on the situation in their institutions, have the option to Accept, Decline or Refer
• In the case that more than 1 hospital has accepted, the system then calculates the distance to each and selects the nearest one and gives possible routes with least congestion and that would take lesser time
• Upon acceptance, the hospital staff get access to the GPS location of the ambulance and can track it so as to prepare for their arrival
• Meanwhile, the Ambulance technician on board can send vitals and any observed symptoms of the patient over the system to the hospital so that they are aware of patients’ state and can make suitable preparations e.g if there is need for surgery, doctors can scrub in. The doctor at the hospital can also instruct the technician on what to do in case the patient gets critical on board 

This problem is predominant in the public hospitals to which low-income patients can be taken to by the ambulance. This will help increase the likelihood of survival and recovery to the low-income individual who has to rely on public hospitals like Chitungwiza, Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe Hospitals.

The team members are both students at the University of Zimbabwe studying Biomedical Engineering. As a prerequisite of the degree, we have skills in programming and artificial intelligence which are fundamental in design of the system.

We also go to these public hospitals for weekly attachments and we have seen first-hand how dilapidated the healthcare system is and have better insight to come up with ways to better healthcare delivery in Zimbabwe. This also gives us an opportunity to collect data from patients, medical personnel and ambulance service providers, via questionnaires; and to test the model. 

Community service is mandatory for every-student at the University of Zimbabwe for 60hrs a semester and by volunteering in our communities, we hear their concerns and can learn more on the extent of the problem. 

The team members are also in the Enactus club at the University of Zimbabwe and are well versed with the notion to save the people, planet and ensure prosperity. From Enactus we have gained skills in problem solving, seeking for partnerships, entrepreneurial skills, engaging with the community and presentation skills

Research was conducted from literature reviewed. We also consulted specialists in the two parties involved (Ambulance personnel and hospital medical personnel).

The AHPS will aid in timely treatment deliverance and will reduce the number of delayed attendance deaths. It also will reduce possible additional ambulance charges owing to re-routing, as ambulance service providers charge accordingly. 

It will also improve the quality of healthcare delivery as medical personnel can strategize and plan modes of treatment before the patient arrives, thus preventing hurried mis-diagnosis. 

By using this system, we ensure effective cooperation between the ambulance providers and the hospitals, with the mantra to save lives as core.

To Quote those who found the solution innovative: The AHPS came first in the Banc abc Innovation Revolution competition 2022. The judges mentioned that the project has the potential to scale to other countries as delayed attendance is not a problem in Zimbabwe only

• After further research, we hope to develop a working prototype to test and to conduct a pilot study
• Growth of the team to include people of various expertise; from marketing, Public relations, designers to engineers and programmers
• Market penetration: Launching of the system into the market and have it adopted into public Hospitals. Also to be taken up by the private sector to save more lives

• Future prospects: addition of more features to the system e.g ioT device to aid in remote patient monitoring in the ambulance

Artificial intelligence helps drive the solution as the system will be able to carry out complex tasks such as locating nearby hospitals and calculating of distance inbetween.

GIS will play a part in the geographical location of the ambulance

1000+

• Human Capital, expertise  
• Finances 

• The Department of Biomedical Informatics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment on concept development, system development, and fine tuning of the project
• Banc abc on funding, mentorship and incubation of the project

The project is still in concept development stage hence a business model has not been developed. We however predict that it shall contain the following components:

1. Key partnerships and stakeholders: Public hospitals are owned and run by the government and hence a partnership with the Ministry of Health and Childcare. We also anticipate partnerships with Ambulance service providers such as Medical Air Rescue Services (MARS) 
2. Key activities: Development and running of the website/application, seeking partnerships, marketing and product awareness
3. Channels: Website/application used by the ambulance and hospitals
4. Customer: Hospitals and Ambulance providers
5. Cost Structure: Salaries, website hosting, research and development
6. Revenue : monthly subscriptions paid by both parties (Ambulance Providers and Hospitals). Also funding from donors and competitions such as Solve.

Both parties (Ambulance Providers and Hospitals) will be required to pay monthly subscriptions to gain access to the platform. Donations and grants will also be sought. 

With further research and development, we hope to expand the service thus including more components e.g Hospital paging systems for use within the institution, so as to develop more revenue.