Ch. 5 EMR Book: Communications and Documentation Flashcards
(39 cards)
Communication
Transmission of information to another person
Documentation
Written or electronically reported portion of patient care interaction
What is interoperability?
Agencies working together with the ability to communicate with each other
What are the two most common voice systems used in public safety agencies?
- Radio systems
- Telephone systems
Who regulates radio communications?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Channel
An assigned frequency or frequencies that are used to carry voice and/or data communications
How are frequencies assigned?
Based on the function of your organization
Trunked communications system
Computer-controlled radio system that allows the sharing of a few radio frequencies among a large group of users
What is the benefit of trunked communications systems?
It allows for more efficient use of the limited radio frequencies available to public safety agencies
Base station
Powerful two-way radio that is permanently mounted in a communications center for sending and receiving messages to and from the service area
Mobile radio
Two-way radio that is permanently mounted in an emergency vehicle that draws electricity from the electrical system of the vehicle
Portable radio
A handheld, battery-operated, two-way radio usually capable of operating on multiple channels
What can be a disadvantage of portable radios?
The controls are small and hard to see in darkness and they are low-powered
Repeater
A radio system that automatically retransmits a radio signal on a different frequency; found on portable radios
What are dead spots?
Geographic areas where radio signals are too weak for effective communications and repeaters are needed
What are some data systems?
- Paging systems
- Mobile data terminal (MDT)
- Fax machines
- Telemetry
- Digital messaging
Paging systems
Communications systems used to send voice or text messages over a radio system to specifically designed radio receivers
How can paging systems be used by departments?
For alerting members to emergency incidents
Mobile data terminal (MDT)
Computer terminal mounted in a vehicle that sends and receives data through a radio communications system
What is a benefit of MDTs?
They reduce the time the radio frequency is in use
Fax machine
Device used to send or receive printed text documents or images over a telephone or radio communications system
What can fax machines be used for?
Transmitting dispatch information
Telemetry
Process in which electronic signals are transmitted and received by radio or telephone; commonly used for sending electrocardiogram tracings
Digital messaging
Technology like email, text messaging, and social media which is becoming more used by EMRs to send and receive various types of information