Mobile application to optimize care for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients in a large healthcare system, STEMIcathAID: Rationale and design

Aims: Technological advancements have transformed healthcare. System delays in transferring patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centre are associated with worse clinical outcomes. Our aim was to design and develop a secure mobile application, STEMIcathAID, streamlining communication, and coordination between the STEMI care teams to reduce ischaemia time and improve patient outcomes. Methods and results: The app was designed for transfer of patients with STEMI to a cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) from an emergency department (ED) of either a PCI capable or a non-PCI capable hospital. When a suspected STEMI arrives to a non-PCI hospital ED, the ED physician uploads the electrocardiogram and relevant patient information. An instant notification is simultaneously sent to the on-call CCL attending and transfer centre. The attending reviews the information, makes a video call and decides to either accept or reject the transfer. If accepted, on-call CCL team members receive an immediate push notification and begin communicating with the ED team via a HIPAA compliant chat. The app provides live GPS tracking of the ambulance and frequent clinical status updates of the patient. In addition, it allows for screening of STEMI patients in cardiogenic shock. Prior to discharge, important data elements have to be entered to close the case. Conclusion: We developed a novel mobile app to optimize care for STEMI patients and facilitate electronic extraction of relevant performance metrics to improve allocation of resources and reduction of costs.