Vehicle Telematics Concept Benefits Responders, Victims
Guidelines from an expert panel convened by CDC said using advanced automatic collision notification (AACN) could improve outcomes among severely injured crash patients.
A new CDC report based on an expert panel's findings supports the use of a concept named advanced automatic collision notification (AACN), which employs vehicle sensors that automatically alert a remote advisor if that vehicle is involved in a moderate or severe front, rear, or side-impact crash. Knowing what the sensors showed about crash severity, the direction of impact, air bag deployment, multiple impacts, and rollovers (if appropriate sensors are installed), the advisor would then inform emergency responders, helping them decide quickly whether the victims need to be transported to a trauma center.
CDC Division of Injury Response Director Dr. Richard C. Hunt, OnStar President Chet Huber, and Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, are hosting a media conference call today to discuss the findings.
The panel concluded AACN's use "shows promise in improving outcomes among severely injured crash patients" by:
- predicting the likelihood of serious injury among vehicle occupants,
- decreasing response times by prehospital care providers,
- assisting with field triage destination and transportation decisions, and
- decreasing time it takes for patients to receive definitive trauma care.
The experts also said the telematics of AACN may be especially valuable in rural or isolated areas, where a passing motorist who could report the crash is less likely and Level I trauma centers may be far away.
"Providing emergency responders with vehicle crash information may help them make the appropriate field triage decisions, so crash victims can get to the right type of health care facility at the right time," Hunt said.
The evaluation was conducted by CDC after the agency and the foundation partnered with OnStar and the GM Foundation.