EMS Director Locky Beasley Sits Down for Q&A
What is your background?
I am a paramedic/firefighter and have been in EMS for 21 years. I have been a medic for 16 of those. I am the Education Coordinator for Hopkinsville Fire in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and the EMS Director for Todd County EMS. We have around 85 personnel at Hopkinsville and 30 at Todd County. I am also a street medic for Hopkinsville, which runs 911 and non-urgent runs. I have used electronic PCRs for about eight years.
What was your role in the purchase of iPCR?
I made the decision to implement the iPCR program at Todd County EMS in 2011, after seeing the program in Las Vegas in 2010. We then became the testing ground for Hopkinsville Fire. I recommended it be implemented at Hopkinsville Fire this year.
What did you use previously and why did you switch?At Hopkinsville Fire, we had previously used a competitor ePCR and Toughbooks. We had severe issues with both programs and the hardware. After we saw the iPCR program, our billing department made the way for us to test the program, and we loved it. Compared to the other programs and hardware, the cost and maintenance of the iPads and iPCR is much less. Furthermore, the PCR itself is condensed and clean.
What is your favorite feature in iPCR?
The ease of use. The program is user friendly, and the crews love the availability of having the small, light iPad and the simple-to-use program. We have found that they use the program in conjunction with other apps to fulfill all of their needs. You can tell the program was made by paramedics, for paramedics.
How has your team adapted to the iPCR product?
We literally loaded the iPCR on the iPad and one of the crews made a run with it right then and finished the PCR. You usually have a complainer in every bunch, but the crews accepted the changeover very well. “Like ducks to water” is the saying here. It has decreased our time spent on the PCRs because it is not repetitive.
How has your experience been with support and training on iPCR?
The iPCR support and training staff have been very helpful. They are prompt and courteous — very skilled in solving any hiccups we have had. They have also continued to follow up even after questions were answered. You can have the greatest program in the world, but if the tech support and training isn’t there, it’s not worth much and you’re going to become disgusted with it quickly.
How do you see the durability and security of the iPCR (and iPads in general)?
The security is fantastic. No problem there, and it had basically nullified the need for IT guys and their services. This cuts down on the possibility for a breach even more. The durability of the iPad is great. We have utilized Griffin cases in conjunction with the iPad and not one has been damaged. You will also find the crews see the program as simpler, so they take better care of the iPads more than they did with the Toughbooks.
Anything else you would like to add?
From a director’s and educator’s standpoint, the iPCR program is second to none. We love the ease of use and crisp, clean PCRs. The fax capability works wonderfully for our service and allows our crews to leave as soon as they move the patient to a bed. They can fax the PCR to the facility while en route to another call. The signature on the iPad works fantastically, and the patients have less trouble with it than they did with the Toughbooks and a stylus. The ability to customize your settings is a very nice feature and leaves room to use the PCR to your service’s advantage.
