Medical Airmen use T6 Health System device to improve efficiency

U.S. Air Force medical professionals at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield are working to make positive impacts during their deployment so future patients and providers can benefit.

Lt. Col. Valerie Sams, a physician and 455th ExpeditionaryMedical Group trauma medical director, is leading a trial use of the T6 HealthSystem mobile device to improve trauma care at CJTH, the most capable Role IIItrauma hospital in Afghanistan.

The current trauma resuscitation documentation and datacollection process in Afghanistan is very similar to the process stateside,Sams said. A five-page paper form, a trauma resuscitation record, is used todocument patient care and is handwritten by healthcare teams.

“The Joint Trauma System’s Department of Defense TraumaRegistry struggles with data capture since much of it relies on handwrittendocuments and from memory during trauma events that must be scanned to betrackable and viewable by registry personnel,” Sams said.

“Unfortunately, there are many flaws in today’s healthcareenvironment with a pen and paper system of documentation,” she added. “Much ofthe paper documentation comes up missing, is not legible, and in theater, manypieces of the patient's record remain behind in theater, never making it to thecentral data repository due to the nature of traumatic events under duress in awar zone.”

The T6 Health System mobile device application is a highresolution, digital documentation system, that is a multi-dimensional data andpoint-of-care analytics system that opens up the possibility of precision andpredictive trauma care to theater. CJTH staff can explore the feasibility ofusing this technology in routine care of trauma patients, mass casualtysituations, point of injury and en-route care.

“The in-theater trial will allow us to conduct a simulationof utilizing the application through the continuum of care involving allpotential end-users and stakeholders to determine logistical and technicalfeasibility,” Sams said. “Utilization of such an electronic record capture toolwill enable us to realize the benefits over a paper and pen system that hasmany times failed the healthcare delivery system in capturing longitudinalhealth record information for our warriors and all beneficiaries under ourcare.”

Sams said the system promotes and supports a reliable andsecure bi-directional data exchange with existing information systems, whichstreamline paperwork processes across various hospital staff and functions.

“Patients move through many teams of care, and it can bechallenging to get a good picture of exactly what happened from the time ofinjury to the time of treatment,” said Capt. Katie Barnack, emergency roomnurse. “This will help us keep a more complete record and helps us givepatients the appropriate care at the appropriate time. We’re also able tocapture a lot more data, ensure it’s accurate and get it in their permanentrecords.”

Barnack said the trial, which began in early March, has beengoing well.

“The system is user friendly—I like it,” Barack said. “We’vealready used it on several real traumas. I think it’s more efficient.”

The 455th EMDG is the medical component of Task ForceMedical-Afghanistan, providing combat medical services and support to U.S. andcoalition forces throughout Afghanistan. The group staffs the CJTH and servesas hub for all aeromedical evacuation missions within the Combined JointOperations Area-Afghanistan.