Join supports a race against time at ER

Satoshi Takeda, MD, PhD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Emergency Medicine
The Jikei University School of Medicine
Tokyo, Japan

“As treatment of acute diseases is a race against time, I believe Join is very effective in these scenarios. For instance, EMS/EMTs can immediately share information with us at the hospital. For hospital-hospital and hospital-clinic collaborations, as we say, when images are taken in a nearby hospital and the patient is transferred to another, patient information can be shared via Join instantly, even before we begin transportating the patient. For certain situations, I think hospital-clinic collaborations will become essential. By using Join, physicians working in clinics can share patient information in advance to hospitals prior to patient transfers. I believe this is really valuable for incoming acute cases.

Our hospital has multiple Join groups already in place. For instance, we created a group called the ‘Aorta Network’. So when we take a CT scan of the chest and see a dissection of the aorta, we can immediately share this image with the surgeon, the OR team, and professionals from relevant departments. By uploading clinical data to the cloud with Join, the image can be shared with healthcare professionals in all departments, including nurses and radiology technicians. For example, the OR staff can know exactly when a patient is arriving, allowing earlier OR preparation. I believe having this information all at once is truly valuable.

Join improves clinical working conditions. Senior physicians are now able to support younger ones, even from home or away from the hospital. I also find it useful for medical team meetings as well. ED physicians work in shifts, meaning they may not be able to participate in team meetings every day. I see how Join can be a very useful tool for us here as well. We conduct whiteboard discussions in this way, and just as we see hematomas in this region, we can share these images with those participating, and even with those who couldn’t attend that day. So, I also find Join to be very effective for clinical education purposes.”