DIGITAL EMMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (DEMS)
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
Prepared by:
TELEMEDICINE & MEDICAL INFORMATICS ENGINEERING, INC.
(TMI ENGINEERING, INC.)
LAURIE WEBSTER II, M.S.S.E., M.S.E.E., M.S.BME, PH.D., P.E.
MEDICAL INFORMATICS ENGINEER
And
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston / Texas A & M University
DOUG TINDALL – PROJECT DIRECTOR, DIGITAL EMS / DREAMS PROJECT – UTHSC MEDICAL SCHOOL
Abstract
The DREAMSTM project (Disaster Relief and Emergency Medical Services) is a long-term innovative program of the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center and Texas A & M University. It will use an advanced telecommunications system to initiate life-saving treatments sooner. The physicians to be trained in the DREAMSTM project technology will be emergency and trauma medical specialists on the staff of the UT-Houston Medical School. The specific training of the physicians, emergency room nurses and paramedics in this DREAMSTM project technology is likened to being trained in “Star Wars” technology that is applied in disaster relief and emergency medical services.
Dr. James (Red) Duke, M.D., the Texas Medical Center’s world-renowned professor of surgery, is the principal investigator for the DREAMSTM Digital Emergency Medical Services (DEMS) as well as the director for the overall DREAMSTM project. Dr. Duke stated that “The interval between the occurrence of some serious injuries or acute illnesses and the institution of appropriate therapies often determines the potential survival of an individual. This critical time period can often be a determining factor in life and death”. The digital EMS component of the DREAMSTM project is an effort to utilize modern telecommunications technologies to shorten the critical time element of instituting life-saving therapies. DEMS will combine real-time physician mentoring of emergency personnel, providing access to patient’s medical records, advanced therapies and up-to-date regional ambulance and hospital availability to be sure each patient is transported to the appropriate facility in the shortest time.
The Digital EMS (DEMS) functional requirements and specifications calls for several key elements to ensure a quality product with which the customer will be satisfied. These areas are as follows: customer requirements definition, functional requirements definition, testing plan (includes independent verification and validation in a dedicated testing environment), and emergency scenario based testing scripts. Together, these elements will provide a foundation to test the Digital EMS software. This document will focus on the documenting of DEMS software development including the interagency interactions (policy & procedure) specifications and diagrams.
