Illinois hospital uses new app to communicate with EMS

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois hospital has partnered with seven EMS providers to test a new app to improve communications.

The Twiage app was created to foster better communication between emergency responders in the field and personnel in the hospital emergency room.

The Journal Star reports that the OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center began using the app on March 1 with the help of Eureka-Goodfield and six other EMS providers in central Illinois.

OSF is the first hospital in the state to test the new technology.

Eureka-Goodfield EMS Chief Randy Wolfe says he's excited to use the app that has options like texting, video clips and photographs. He says using photos can be beneficial to "describing a scene."

Photos assist doctors in emergency rooms to understand the scope of the trauma and pinpoint where to look for internal injuries.

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Information from: Journal Star, http://pjstar.com