CareLog Documentation

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Emergency Call System ​

The emergency call system enables patients to quickly request urgent medical attention, with immediate routing to nursing staff and escalation capabilities.

Overview ​

The emergency system provides:

  • Immediate alert to nursing staff
  • Priority-based response routing
  • Escalation to doctors when needed
  • Response time tracking
  • Complete audit trail

How It Works ​

Patient → Emergency Call → Nurse Notification
                              ↓
                        Nurse Responds
                              ↓
                    ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                    ↓                   ↓
              Resolved              Escalate
                                       ↓
                              Doctor Notified
                                       ↓
                              Doctor Responds

For Patients ​

When to Use Emergency Calls ​

Use For:

  • Severe pain or discomfort
  • Sudden health changes
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Chest pain
  • High fever
  • Medication reactions
  • Fall or injury
  • Severe anxiety or panic

Don't Use For:

  • Routine questions
  • Appointment scheduling
  • General information
  • Non-urgent issues

DANGER

Life-Threatening Emergencies: For immediate life-threatening situations (heart attack, stroke, severe trauma), call your local emergency services (911, 999, etc.) immediately! Then use the CareLog system to alert hospital staff.

Making an Emergency Call ​

  1. Click the Emergency Call button on your dashboard
  2. Select urgency level:
    • CRITICAL: Life-threatening, immediate response needed
    • HIGH: Urgent attention required
    • MEDIUM: Needs prompt attention
  3. Optionally describe the emergency
  4. Click Submit Emergency Call

What Happens Next ​

  1. Immediate Notification: Nursing staff receives instant alert
  2. Priority Routing: Call sorted by urgency level
  3. Nurse Response: Nurse will assess and respond
  4. Status Updates: You'll see when someone is responding
  5. Resolution or Escalation: Either resolved by nurse or escalated to doctor

Tracking Your Emergency Call ​

  • View status on your dashboard
  • See who is responding
  • Check response time
  • View resolution notes

For Nurses ​

Viewing Emergency Calls ​

  1. Navigate to Emergency Responses from sidebar
  2. See all unresolved emergency calls
  3. Calls are sorted by:
    • Urgency level (CRITICAL first)
    • Time submitted (oldest first)

Emergency Call Details ​

Each call shows:

  • Patient Name: Who needs help
  • Urgency Level: CRITICAL, HIGH, or MEDIUM
  • Timestamp: When call was made
  • Duration: How long it's been pending
  • Description: Patient's description (if provided)
  • Patient History: Recent health logs and medical info

Responding to Emergency Calls ​

Step 1: Assess Urgency ​

CRITICAL (Red)

  • Respond immediately (< 2 minutes)
  • May require emergency services
  • Alert doctors immediately
  • Document all actions

HIGH (Orange)

  • Respond within 5-10 minutes
  • Evaluate for escalation
  • Provide immediate guidance
  • Schedule urgent visit if needed

MEDIUM (Yellow)

  • Respond within 15-30 minutes
  • Assess patient needs
  • Provide appropriate care
  • Monitor situation

Step 2: Take Action ​

  1. Review Patient Info:

    • Check recent health logs
    • Review medical history
    • Note current medications
    • Check for allergies

  2. Contact Patient:

    • Call patient directly
    • Assess situation verbally
    • Provide immediate guidance
    • Determine next steps

  3. Provide Care:

    • Give medical advice
    • Arrange in-person visit
    • Call emergency services if critical
    • Coordinate with doctors

Step 3: Document in System ​

  1. Click Respond to Emergency
  2. Add detailed response notes:
    • What you found
    • Actions taken
    • Patient status after intervention
    • Follow-up required
  3. Either:
    • Mark as Resolved: If handled
    • Escalate to Doctor: If doctor needed

When to Escalate ​

Escalate to a doctor when:

  • Beyond nursing scope of practice
  • Requires diagnosis
  • Needs prescription changes
  • Patient condition deteriorating
  • Complex medical decision needed
  • Patient specifically requests doctor
  • Uncertain about proper course of action

TIP

When in Doubt, Escalate: Patient safety is always the priority. It's better to escalate unnecessarily than to miss something serious.

Escalation Process ​

  1. Document your assessment thoroughly
  2. Click Escalate to Doctor
  3. Add escalation notes:
    • Why escalating
    • What you've done so far
    • Recommendations
    • Urgency assessment
  4. Notify assigned doctor directly
  5. Continue monitoring until doctor responds

For Doctors ​

Viewing Escalated Calls ​

Escalated emergency calls appear in your notifications:

  • Check Notifications for alerts
  • Review emergency details
  • See nurse's assessment
  • Check patient medical history

Responding to Escalations ​

  1. Review Context:

    • Nurse's assessment
    • Patient health logs
    • Medical history
    • Current treatments

  2. Take Action:

    • Contact patient directly
    • Provide medical guidance
    • Schedule urgent appointment
    • Update treatment plan
    • Prescribe medication if needed

  3. Document:

    • Response actions
    • Decisions made
    • Follow-up plan
    • Mark as resolved

For Administrators ​

Monitoring Emergency System ​

  1. Navigate to Patient Oversight
  2. View emergency call statistics:
    • Response times
    • Escalation rates
    • Resolution rates
    • Nurse performance

Quality Metrics ​

Track:

  • Average response time by urgency
  • Percentage of escalated calls
  • Time to resolution
  • Unresolved call duration
  • Nurse workload distribution

Audit Trail ​

All emergency calls are logged:

  • Who submitted
  • When submitted
  • Who responded
  • Response time
  • Actions taken
  • Escalation history
  • Resolution details

Technical Details ​

Data Structure ​

python
EmergencyCall:
  - callID: Unique identifier
  - patientID: Patient user ID
  - timestamp: When call was made (ISO 8601)
  - urgencyLevel: "CRITICAL" | "HIGH" | "MEDIUM"
  - description: Optional patient description
  - isResolved: Boolean status
  - isEscalated: Boolean escalation flag
  - respondedBy: Nurse/doctor user ID
  - responseTime: When response occurred
  - notes: Response notes

API Usage ​

python
from core.services.emergency_call_service import EmergencyCallService
from core.models.emergency_call import EmergencyCall
import datetime

service = EmergencyCallService(db_service=db)

# Create emergency call
call = EmergencyCall(
    callID="call123",
    patientID="patient456",
    timestamp=datetime.datetime.now().isoformat(),
    urgencyLevel="HIGH",
    isResolved=False,
    isEscalated=False
)
service.create(call)

# Get unresolved calls
unresolved = service.get_unresolved()

# Respond to call
service.respond_to_call("call123", "nurse789")

# Escalate to doctor
service.escalate_call("call123")

# Get escalated calls
escalated = service.get_escalated()

Response Time Guidelines ​

Target Response Times ​

UrgencyTarget ResponseMaximum Acceptable
CRITICAL< 2 minutes5 minutes
HIGH< 10 minutes20 minutes
MEDIUM< 30 minutes60 minutes

Measuring Performance ​

Response time calculated from:

  • Start: Emergency call timestamp
  • End: When nurse/doctor responds
  • Metrics: Average, median, 95th percentile

Workflow Examples ​

Example 1: Resolved by Nurse ​

  1. Patient has severe headache → Submits HIGH emergency
  2. Nurse receives alert within 1 minute
  3. Nurse calls patient → Assesses symptoms
  4. Nurse provides guidance → Take prescribed pain medication, rest
  5. Nurse marks as resolved with notes
  6. Follow-up scheduled for next day

Example 2: Escalated to Doctor ​

  1. Patient has chest pain → Submits CRITICAL emergency
  2. Nurse responds immediately (< 1 minute)
  3. Nurse assesses → Potential cardiac issue
  4. Nurse escalates to doctor with detailed notes
  5. Doctor reviews → Orders emergency transport
  6. Doctor marks as resolved, creates appointment for follow-up

Example 3: False Alarm ​

  1. Patient accidentally triggers emergency (Medium)
  2. Nurse responds within 15 minutes
  3. Patient indicates false alarm
  4. Nurse marks as resolved → "False alarm, patient doing well"
  5. No further action needed

Best Practices ​

For Patients ​

  • Use for genuine emergencies only
  • Be ready to answer phone calls
  • Provide accurate urgency level
  • Have medical information ready
  • Don't use for routine questions

For Nurses ​

  • Respond promptly to all calls
  • Prioritize by urgency level
  • Document thoroughly
  • Escalate when uncertain
  • Follow up on resolutions
  • Don't delay response to critical calls

For Doctors ​

  • Respond quickly to escalations
  • Trust nurse assessments
  • Provide clear guidance
  • Document decisions
  • Schedule follow-ups

Troubleshooting ​

Emergency Call Not Creating ​

  • Check internet connection
  • Verify you're logged in
  • Ensure you have patient role
  • Try refreshing the page

Not Receiving Emergency Notifications ​

For Nurses:

  • Check notification settings
  • Verify nurse role is active
  • Refresh the emergency response page
  • Check browser notification permissions

Cannot Respond to Emergency ​

  • Verify call hasn't been resolved already
  • Check if you have appropriate role
  • Ensure you're not disabled
  • Try refreshing the page

Safety Features ​

Audit Trail ​

All emergency calls are:

  • Permanently logged
  • Cannot be deleted
  • Include complete history
  • Tracked for compliance

Escalation Safety Net ​

  • Calls auto-escalate if no response after threshold
  • Critical calls alert multiple nurses
  • Unresolved calls highlighted
  • Administrators notified of delays

Patient Safety ​

  • No emergency call can be deleted
  • All responses logged
  • Response times tracked
  • Quality metrics monitored