The Patient Unified Lookup System for Emergencies (PULSE) is an effort to create access to health information during disasters, including public health emergencies.
PULSE enables secure access to emergency medical services and healthcare volunteers to obtain vital health information during disasters, so patients can continue to receive care where and when needed.
As for news concerning PULSE, the Texas Health Services Authority (THSA) https://thsa.org recently launched their new PULSE platform in Texas in partnership with Audacious Inquiry. PULSE falls under a suite of statewide HIE services known as “HIT Texas” overseen by THSA, a public private partnership.
HIE Texas PULSE enables disaster response volunteers to access electronic health information such as medication history in situations where they would have had no access to health information outside of that provided directly by the patient.
The system can be accessed remotely and securely from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Care can be provided in alternate care sites which unlike most routine healthcare settings, may not have access to an EHR system. Also, access to clinical data for disaster response is provided and the system enables public health professionals to use the system for case management purposes.
The PULSE system also leverages the HIETexas Emergency Department Encounter Notification (HIETexasEDEN) system to provide a view of hospital and ED admissions along with discharges to enable family reunification and patient coordination efforts.
Go to https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-health-care-settings/public-health/patient-unified-lookup-system-for-emergencies-pulse for more information on PULSE.