Free ACEP Training on Improving Care Using AACN Data

Online training program seeks to educate medical directors and other EMS leaders on the value of Advanced Automatic Collision Notification technology

For the past 12years, Advanced Automatic Collision Notification (AACN) technology has been a part of modern EMS field triage and response. During a collision, vehicles with AACN capability transmit crash data to Telematics Service Providers, who verbally relay the information to local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Dispatchers at the PSAP can alert first responders of the likelihood of serious injury, allowing EMS systems to respond with the most appropriate level of care, and patients to get the care they need.

Today, many EMS clinicians may have been on a call in which AACN data was relayed, but most are unfamiliar with its full potential. In an effort to better educate the EMS community, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), developed a training course to provide a clear understanding of what AACN is and how it can be leveraged by EMS systems to provide more effective service.

The free online course – worth 1.0 CME credit and open to anyone – is intended to assist EMS and 911 medical directors and EMS personnel who wish to learn how AACN data can be used to improve patient care. The self-directed course allows participants to finish it at their own pace. Upon completion, participants will have an understanding of the principles of AACN crash data and what they mean, how crash data are used to predict injury severity, and how its use can be implemented into local EMS protocols and trauma care systems.

“AACN information is currently being shared with PSAPs, and EMS agencies should make the effort to ensure the information is passed on from the PSAP, to the responding crew, to the emergency department and trauma system,” said Rick Murray, Director of the EMS and Disaster Preparedness Department at ACEP. “This information isn’t useful unless it’s shared.”

As Next Generation 911 (NG911) is put in place, it will allow for much faster and more direct AACN data sharing between vehicles and PSAPs. And once NG911 is fully operational, the car itself will be able to send collision information electronically. In a busy PSAP with stressed resources, NG911 can be an asset to the dispatcher who may not have time to collect all crash information verbally.

For more information about the program, contact Rick Murray at rmurray@acep.org or visit ems.gov.