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POLARIS LogoPrehospital OnLine Active Reporting Information System

Deployment/Development

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Deployment

Deployment Timeline

The bureau has established the following deployment timeline.

—September 2006:AIS or NEMSIS phase begins. Agencies are able to begin submitting data in NEMSIS format and stop submitting data in AIS format. However, AIS format is still accepted. (January 2008 for air ambulance agencies.)
—2006 & 2007:Rollout orientations and user training sessions throughout the state (see schedules on Training/Support page). Scheduled agency transitions from AIS to NEMSIS. (2008 for air ambulance agencies.)
—July 2007:NEMSIS-only. Agencies are required to submit data in NEMSIS format. Utah Administrative Rule R426-7 is changed to reflect the new requirements. Agencies not meeting the requirement are subject to the NEMSIS Transition Extension Policy. (January 2009 for air ambulance agencies.)

The Training/Support page contains information about upcoming rollout orientations and user training sessions.

Agencies wishing to schedule their transition date can do so by completing the NEMSIS/POLARIS Transition Request form (DOC) and returning it to Joshua Legler at the Bureau (contact information).

Deployment Status

Following is Utah's NEMSIS/POLARIS deployment status as of July 3, 2008 (recently revised to include air ambulance agencies):

  • Agencies submitting transition requests: 119 of 140 (85%)
  • Personnel trained by the Bureau: 1,036 (not including training during the beta test)
  • Agencies live: 82 of 140 (59%)
  • Hospitals trained and live: 31 of 44 (70%) (includes out-of-state hospitals)

Transition status map
Fully transitioned counties in dark blue, partially transitioned counties in light blue
Transition status map

Development

Completed Work

  • Base system: The base system provides the core functionality of POLARIS. (January 31, 2006).
  • Disconnected Mode: Disconnected mode provides the ability to initialize a PCR while connected to the Internet, then disconnect and complete the PCR while disconnected. Once reconnected to the Internet, the PCR can be uploaded to POLARIS. (March 31, 2006).
  • Enhanced Time Entry: Enhanced time entry requires users to only input the hour and minute of each call time after initially entering the date of the call. The system detects whether or not the call crossed midnight. An Advanced button is available in case a special situation (such as a call that spans more than two days) needs to be entered. Also, the system auto-tabs through the times. (March 31, 2006).
  • Consolidated Display of Units: This enhancement reduces confusion on data entry by putting patient age (a number) and age units (years, months, days, or hours) directly next to each other in the user interface. The same change applies medication and medication units, and other similar elements. (March 31, 2006).
  • Enhanced Personnel Section: The enhanced personnel section provides data managers a quick list of all personnel in the agency. Then, the data manager can click on a person to bring up the details for that person. The personnel list can be sorted by name, EMS ID, certification level, and phone number. (April 30, 2006).
  • Improved PDF: The printable PCR is redesigned to be more aesthetically pleasing, easy to read, and compact. The typical PCR is anticipated to fit on about two pages. (April 30, 2006).
  • Multiple-agency Users: A single user can be granted access under multiple agencies. However, a limitation in the authorization model mandated that the user have the same roles in all agencies. This enhancement allows a user to have a different set of roles for each agency that he/she belongs to. (June 30, 2006).
  • Bug Fixes: Bugs identified during beta testing that have not been fixed previously are eliminated in preparation for the September go-live of POLARIS. (July 31, 2006).
  • Minor Bug Fixes and Feature Releases: Bugs identified after the go-live date are fixed as they become identified, and minor feature enhancements are implemented. (Ongoing, approximately every 2 months).
  • Import/Export Web Service: With web services, POLARIS provides a back-end interface to upload and download NEMSIS XML data. Vendors or agency IT staff can program their systems to automatically use the back-end web services interface. (September 12, 2007).
  • Analysis Suite: The analysis suite allows multi-dimensional analysis of data entered into POLARIS. The tool allows online ad-hoc queries, generates tables and charts, and creates downloads for use in spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel. (September 12, 2007).
  • Access to Printable PCR From Within PCR Data Entry Screens: A user can access the printable version of the PCR currently being worked on by clicking on a button within the data entry screens, rather than needing to exit the data entry screens and search for the PCR. This is especially helpful for printing out a PCR at the end of doing data entry without requiring additional steps. (May 27, 2008).
  • Availability of All PCRs to Final Destination Hospital: A hospital user can choose to see all PCRs for the care given to a patient during an incident—e.g., first responder -> transporting agency -> receiving hospital -> interfacility transport -> trauma center hospital—even though the user's hospital was not the destination of all of those PCRs. (May 27, 2008).
  • Incident-only and Patient-only Linkage: This enhancement extends the PCR linkage feature to different patients on the same incident (incident-only linkage), and to the same patient on different incidents (patient-only linkage). (May 27, 2008).

Current Work

The following features are currently being developed on POLARIS. Estimated availability dates are provided in parentheses.

  • Re-design of Column-style Data Entry Sections: Column-style sections will be redesigned to use the default layout and show only one instance (for example, one set of vital signs). Clicking on the "More…" button will cause a second instance to appear without requiring any communication with the server. (June 30, 2008).
  • Injury Matrix as a Matrix: The injury matrix will be rendered as a matrix, with body areas on one axis, field values on the other axis, and checkboxes at the intersections. (August 31, 2008).
  • Amendment Logs: POLARIS records all changes made to patient care reports in an amendment log. This enhancement will make the amendment log available to users through the user interface. (June 30, 2008).
  • Multi-page Lists: Any list (such as search results in "Search PCRs") will be broken down into multiple pages if it contains over a certain number of matching items. (August 31, 2008).
  • Requirements Document for Improved Logic and Validation: The requirements document will lay the groundwork for enhanced logic and validation, which will help to make PCRs both quicker to complete and more accurate (see Scheduled Future Work). (August 31, 2008).
  • Unit/Crew Memory: This enhancement will allow a user to click a button that says "Use my last crew" when completing a PCR, instead of needing to individually add each crew member from the agency personnel list. After selecting "Use my last crew," the user can then add to or remove from the list. (August 31, 2008).
  • User Administration User Overview: This enhancement will provide a user administrator or hospital user administrator with a list of all users that have access within their organization. (August 31, 2008).
  • Improved Lists in Agency Demographics: Yearly Statistics, Other Destinations, Stations, Vehicles, and Medical Devices sections will be changed to hyperlinked lists, following the model used to enhance the Personnel section. Also, the interfaces for medications, procedures, and protocols will be simplified. (June 30, 2008).
  • Additional Data in the Analysis Suite: Through this work, the majority of NEMSIS elements will be made avaiable for reporting in the Analysis Suite. (June 30, 2008).
  • Predesigned Reports: This analysis suite feature will provide reports that have been predesigned to present analysis of certain common topics. A user will be able to run a predesigned report, adding their own criteria for which records to select (e.g., a range of incident dates).
  • Dashboards: Dashboards are graphical snapshot representations of current data (e.g., a breakdown of yesterday's EMS calls), which will be able to be placed anywhere within POLARIS. (August 31, 2008).

Scheduled Future Work

The following features have been scheduled for completion after current work is completed. While subject to change, there is a high certainty that these features will be implemented as described. Estimated availability dates are provided in parentheses but are still subject to significant change.

  • Improved Logic: POLARIS will auto-fill and hide/show elements based on the values provided for other elements. For example, if "Cancelled" is chosen as the disposition of a call, then only a few elements will be shown for the user to fill out. (June 30, 2009).
  • Report-level Validation: POLARIS currently checks to make sure that each element of a PCR contains information that is valid according to the NEMSIS specification. Additional validation will be implemented to perform cross-element validation checks, to prevent the classic "pregnant male" problem and others. (June 30, 2009).
  • Agency Defaults and Lists: POLARIS will allow agency data managers to decide what the default value should be for various elements (e.g., defaulting all PCRs to "treated and transported by EMS") and set up option lists for certain elements (e.g., a list of cities that the agency serves). (June 30, 2009).
  • User Administration Web Service: POLARIS will provide web service operations that web service clients can use to manage user access to POLARIS.
  • Web Service Failure Details: If an importPCR, updatePCR, or updateDEMO operation fails in the web service, POLARIS will provide a detail of the reason for the failure in addition to the failure code.
  • Short Form: POLARIS will provide a "short form" for quick data entry of the critical information on a PCR. The short form will support efforts to provide critical information to hospitals more quickly and the ability to respond to mass casualty incidents. The blank short form will be able to be saved on a user's computer (rather than requiring the user to be logged into POLARIS to start the report), and it will be usable on mobile devices, such as smartphones.

Future Work Identified But Not Yet Scheduled

The following features have been identified but have not yet been scheduled for completion. Priorities and cost-benefit analyses will dictate whether and when these features are implemented.

  • PCR Approval: This enhancement will add "approved" as a status flag on PCRs (like "complete" and "amended"). Users with the role of PCR Reviewer or Data Manager will be able to mark a PCR as approved from within the Search Results list.
  • FDA Drug List: Integration of FDA drug list lookups for Current Medications and Medication Allergies elements. Based on user input, the lookup would propose matching drug names and the user could click on one to add it to the list.
  • Supply Tracking: This enhancement will add NEMSIS research elements capable of collecting supplies used on a call, to support billing functions in agencies.
  • PCR Availability to All Crew Members: Currently, only the user who creates a PCR can view/edit the PCR. This enhancement will allow other crew members listed on the PCR to also view and perhaps edit the PCR.
  • Geographic Centering: This analysis suite feature will calculate the geographic center (using GIS coordinates) of a selection of incident locations. This will allow agencies to identify "hot spots" within their service areas.
  • Portal Page: This feature will provide a user-friendly "dashboard" to users when they log in to POLARIS. The page will show each user some statistics about their use of POLARIS and their involvement in EMS calls. If the user has any incomplete PCRs, the page will notify the user. The page will also provide links to common tasks.
  • Hyperlinked Validation Messages: Messages that notify the user that he/she tried to enter invalid information will contain a hyperlink. When the user clicks on the hyperlink, the cursor will be placed in the element that needs to be corrected.
  • Population Data: The analysis suite will be enhanced to provide population data for geographic areas, including urban, rural, frontier, and sub-frontier designations.
  • Integration with EMSIS: EMSIS is the bureau's system for tracking agency and personnel licensure. POLARIS will retrieve information from EMSIS to automatically synchronize the personnel and vehicle lists in POLARIS. (EMSIS is currently being rewritten, so this enhancement will not be scheduled until the EMSIS upgrade nears completion.)
  • Signature Capture: This enhancement will enable users to capture a patient's (or guardian's) signature electronically, eliminating the need for a separate piece of paper for collecting signatures.
  • Advanced Search: POLARIS will provide an interface that allows a user to perform more advanced searches using nearly any combination of NEMSIS data elements in the search criteria.

System Change Logs

Click on a date/version to see specific changes implemented.

Updated July 03, 2008