How the Red Cross's new telemedicine works
The idea of telemedicine in the rescue service is not new. Back in 2022, the province of Styria announced its intention to introduce telemedicine as an integral part of the rescue service. This approach includes the direct connection of rescue vehicles with emergency physicians via telephone or video telephony. Vital parameters such as blood pressure, ECG or oxygen saturation can be transmitted to a tele-emergency doctor in real time, even if the doctor is not physically present at the scene.
High-tech rescue
The first Red Cross drone team was put into operation in Styria last year. These drones play an important role in search missions and in monitoring large-scale damage, for example after natural disasters such as floods. At the same time, the foundation stone was laid for a new Red Cross regional headquarters, which is expected to go into operation in autumn 2025. This centre is seen as the key to further improving the quality of care and services by creating synergy effects and reducing costs.
Innovative and effective
Last year, almost 590,000 operations were carried out in the rescue service alone, which means that the Red Cross was on the scene every 53 seconds on average. At the same time, over 492,000 home visits were carried out in the area of nursing and care. In addition to these missions, more than 1,000 blood donation campaigns were organised throughout the year, during which almost 51,000 units of blood were collected.
This enormous effort would not have been possible without the commitment of over 11,100 volunteers and 1,728 professional employees, as well as 651 civilian servants and 73 participants in the Voluntary Social Year.
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Source: red, steiermark.ORF.at/Agencies