** UK ambulance service warns outdated GPS info creating deadly response time delays
** New Mexico EMT impersonator provided care for state politicians
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** Outdated satellite navigation systems used in ambulances have been responsible for contributing to at least 3 deaths. That is the word from The Western Telegraph (July 10) which said incorrect routing in the cases created ambulance delays that had fatal consequences. According to the news site, the East of England Ambulance Service said three other instances in which crews were unnecessarily detoured in responding to cardiac arrest patients may also have played out poorly. The service issued a warning to other organizations to update GPS info regularly, at the same time as ensuring control centre maps are also consistent with current road configurations. In the past 18 months, a national database on patient safety noted 9 instances where new map locations have not yet been inputted, leading in one case to a 10 minute delay to attend a cardiac arrest. The warning comes some 9 years after a faulty GPS sent a London Ambulance Service crew 200 miles out of its way;the actual 12 mile journey should only have lasted less than 30 minutes.
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A man accused of impersonating a New Mexico EMT over a period of 12+ months apparently illegally treated state lawmakers during his odyssey. KOB.com (July 11) said Rio Rancho resident David Phillips is alleged to have administered medication and even ordered lab tests for several patients under his co-called care. According to the news site, Phillips managed his ruse by altering an EMT certificate to make it look like his credentials were legitimate. His time as an EMT lasted from September 2012 to February 2014. The jig was up for him last week when he was indicted by a grand jury. Arraignment is set for this week.
