Real-time information on available cardiologists to be introduced

Starting in January next year, cardiovascular patients experiencing acute myocardial infarction or cerebral hemorrhage in urgent need of treatment will benefit from improved access to emergency room services. The new nationwide emergency call system, scheduled to be implemented, will revolutionize the 119 emergency services. This system will initiate multiple simultaneous requests to hospitals, and cardiologists will update the real-time status of available surgeons on an online network, significantly reducing the time required for patient transfer and referrals.

In a meeting held on Thursday, the health ministry finalized the institutions participating in a trial program for intra-agency coordination to address cardiovascular diseases. This program is set to commence at the end of January 2024. There is no real-time information sharing about emergency patients between the 119 emergency services and hospital staff. Emergency staff must call nearby emergency departments, relay patients' vital signs, and inquire about the availability of hospital beds or doctors. The process becomes time-consuming because these calls do not directly connect to specialists overseeing the ultimate treatment.

The health ministry’s trial programs involve establishing an institutional network comprising seven regional cardiovascular disease centers and 39 nearby hospitals nationwide, facilitating real-time information sharing for cardiovascular patients. Out of the 12 participating regions, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Daegu/North Gyeongsang, Busan, Gwangju/South Jeolla, and South Chungcheong have been designated for this initiative.

A platform enabling real-time sharing of patient information between the 119 emergency services and doctors will be created. When the 119 emergency service posts ECG data of a patient suspected of acute myocardial infarction, the platform will promptly alert specialists at nearby hospitals. Available physicians will respond to accept the patient. If no hospital responds within 15 minutes, a designated hospital on duty will take immediate responsibility for coordinating the transfer and referral of the patient.


Gun-Hee Cho becom@donga.com