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Case study: First aid in Sweden

Uppsala University Hospital turns to TETRA system for ambulance communications. If you or your loved one needed to be rushed to the hospital, wouldn't you want paramedics to have a magic wand?

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A magic wand that allowed them to find the quickest route, retrieve patient data from a central database and send ECG information to the hospital? One that allowed them to remotely open your garage door or turn on vehicle lights to illuminate the scene of an accident or crime?

At Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden, paramedics have such a magic wand, in the form of TETRA radio communication provided by the Rakel authority network. Today, nurses, paramedics and ambulances in Uppsala are equipped with TETRA radios.

"We are used to use radio systems for data transmission," says Per Andersson, head of operations for Uppsala Ambulance. "Already in 1989 paramedics were sending medical information from ambulances. With the migration to Rakel we opted for an intelligent, future-proof system that can develop along with our requirements."

TETRA terminals: more than radios

With the Rakel system, paramedics and ambulance drivers use TETRA radios from the moment they get the call from dispatch to the time they report back to the centre. The TETRA system's comprehensive security helps protect patient privacy along the way.

With TETRA radios, Uppsala ambulance staff don't have to remember complex codes for receiving and sending messages. Instead, they use task-specific templates with fill-in fields on the radio display.

TETRA radios from Airbus also offer

  • Good voice quality
  • Clear colour display
  • Configurable quick buttons
  • Voice feedback for talk group selection
  • Robustness
  • Comfortable design.

Uppsala ambulance's communication system includes

  • TETRA handheld and mobile radios from Airbus
  • A navigation and fleet management application
  • Vehicle computers
  • A dispatching application from TC Connect

TC Connect is a system integrator and the authorised distributor of Airbus TETRA radios in Sweden.

"For us, it is important to work with a partner that is able to develop new solutions with the scope of Rakel system," says Mr. Andersson. "We know that TC Connect is competent to deliver what we want."