Enschede - Kreis Borken

Time is one of the most important factors in unexpected emergency care. In an emergency situation, an ambulance will (almost) always divert course to the nearest hospital, even in border regions.

This use case focuses on the collaboration between the Netherlands and Germany in the border region Enschede – Kreis Borken in the area of emergency care. The specific aim is to find a way to send an electronic notice of arrival from a German ambulance (Rettungswagen) to Dutch hospital Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST) in Enschede.

Currently, it is not possible to send an electronic notice of arrival from German ambulances,  causing delays in the emergency care that is provided. Without timely, accurate information, the trauma team cannot be ready in time to treat the patient on arrival at the Emergency Room (ER). Both telephone calls and electronic communication are important in the correct transfer of the patient data.

Last year, Medisch Spectrum Twente and Kreis Borken worked with Nictiz and the relevant regional and national organisations to find a solution. Data from the German ambulances from Kreis Borken were retrieved by Dutch regional cooperation Zorgnet-Oost, converted to an AMB-SEH message in conformity with the Dutch Emergency Care standard and made available to the Dutch hospital. This solution was implemented in September 2022.