CHRIS McNAMARA doesn’t get too philosophical when describing the merits of his company’s electronic patient-care reporting system.

"It’s a technology that helps improve patient care," the founder and director of Medusa Medical Technologies Inc. said in an interview in his Halifax office. "It also helps reduce costs."

Medusa, which Mr. McNamara founded in 1998 while completing a philosophy degree at the University of King’s College, recently signed a contract to outfit 60 per cent of the ambulances in the U.K. with its Siren computerized reporting system for paramedics.

"We create what is called an electronic patient-care report that basically automates any paperwork a paramedic has to complete in the field," said the 32-year-old Ottawa native who has family roots in Newfoundland.

"From a paramedic perspective, it makes their lives easier because it allows them to quickly document the information," he said, adding the information can be passed on quickly to emergency doctors and nurses who are then better informed to make treatment decisions.

"That’s good from a clinical standpoint; they can start ruling out conditions. It’s also great from a legal standpoint, so if they get called to court, it’s properly documented."

The Siren technology, which is also used in Nova Scotia, Alberta and several American states, was recently recognized by the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation, which gave Mr. McNamara a $10,000 Manning Innovation Award.

An avid skier and traveller who holds an international executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa in Spain and a master’s certificate in project management from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and York University’s (Toronto) Schulich School of Business, Mr. McNamara said the idea for the computerized reporting system grew out of his experience as a volunteer first responder...

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