Listen Live
HomeNewsSTARS Transport Doctor Pilot Project “game changer”

STARS Transport Doctor Pilot Project “game changer”

STARS Air Ambulance Grande Prairie Senior Municipal Relations Liaison Glenda Farnden says she’s glad to see what she calls a game-changing approach in the Transport Doctor Pilot Project. It will see transport physicians at a STARS base while on-call.

“Our transport emergency physicians in the STARS Emergency Link Centre in Calgary are now taking a shift. While our crews are providing help in the back of a helicopter on the way to the hospital, transport physicians are also coordinating the logistical requirements for patients on their way to a hospital.”

Fardnen feels this has really been a game-changer, especially in very stressful emergency situations. The transport physicians typically spend three days or more at the ELC, with eight-hour shifts on call since the project was introduced in January of 2021.

“The transport physicians assist in scheduling neurosurgeons, cat scans, and helping provide care in critical situations. Once we arrive with the patient on-site, they are sent directly to the medical department they require without delays,” she says.

- Advertisement -

Farnden had high hopes for the project since the onset and she’s extremely pleased with the results to this day.

“It used to be that they would be using video calling on their phones, but now they have the latest in technology and diagnostics that can be relayed to the staff at the hospital,” she says.

Some examples of situations where the pilot project is used are multiple drownings, backcountry injuries, and a plane crash.

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -
- Advertisement -

Continue Reading