DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - A retired paramedic is joining the fight against COVID-19 through the use of electronics.
Daniel Frey worked for over two decades as a paramedic in North Texas. He says screening patients in the field could have been a lot easier-- much of the software he used was not easy to navigate and took focus from the patient.
"Software engineers assume they know what the people out in the field want," Frey says. "It was just always so frustrating."
After he retired, Frey co-founded FieldMed, a community health program designed for paramedics.
Frey's team was working to launch an in-field screening app when the pandemic started. They were only about halfway finished, but Frey says they fast tracked the project to get the app out last week.
Frey says the app uses telehealth capabilities and an in-home COVID-19 screening form to help treat patients in the field. If they need to speak with a doctor, Frey says the app can connect them with one.
"They're having to do an evaluation on this patient and determine ... do they think they have it or do they not think they have it," Frey says. "What this does is take a lot of the guesswork out."
Frey says the company is waiving fees for 90 days so that first responders in need of the app can use it freely during the pandemic.
Aside from being more convenient for paramedics, Frey says the app should help in the effort to keep hospitals from overcrowding.