Multiple-casualty incident patient tracking

• US 20020011518A1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chad J. Guillot, John W. Goetz
• Original Assignee: Chad J. Guillot, John W. Goetz
• Inventors: Guillot, Chad J., Goetz, John w.
• Granted Patent: US 6,499,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A method for tracking multiple injured victims at a multiple injury scene to provide information on their medical status and their location to emergency personnel and to treatment facilities, the method including examining the injured victims at said scene to determine the medical condition of said victims, attaching a tag to each of said victims to identify said victim and to indicate said medical condition of said victim, said tag having machine-readable information thereon indicating the identity and medical condition of said victim, and said tag having visually readable colors thereon indicating the urgency of treatment needed by the victim, scanning and transmitting said machine-readable information on each of said victims to victim transportation units and other emergency personnel at said scene to enable transport personnel to determine which victims are in most urgent need of transport to a medical treatment facility, and transmitting said machine-readable information on each of said victims to medical treatment facilities to which the victims may be transported.

Claims

1. A method for tracking multiple injured victims at a multiple injury scene to provide information on their medical status and their location to emergency personnel and to treatment facilities, the method comprising sequentially the steps of:

a. examining the injured victims at said scene to determine the medical condition of said victims;

b. attaching a tag to each of said victims to identify said victim and to indicate said medical condition of said victim, said tag having visual and machine-readable information thereon indicating the identity and medical condition of said victim,

c. providing victim transportation units at said scene for transporting said victims to medical treatment facilities, and

d. electronically scanning and transmitting said machine-readable information on each of said victims to emergency personnel at said victim transportation units at said scene to enable emergency personnel at said victim transportation units to determine which victims and the number of victims that are in most urgent need of transport to a medical treatment facility.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said machine-readable information on each of said victims is transmitted to medical treatment facilities to which the victims may be transported.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said tag has visually readable colors thereon indicating the urgency of treatment needed by the victim.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said tag has symbols thereon indicating the urgency of treatment needed by the victim.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said machine-readable information on each of said victims is transmitted to emergency personnel at said scene.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said tag has numbers thereon to identify the victim to which the tag is connected.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said machine-readable information is a bar code.

8. A method for determining the urgency of treatment needed by victims at a multiple injury scene comprising sequentially the steps of:

a. examining the injured victims at said scene to determine the medical condition of said victims;

b. attaching a tag to each of said victims to identify said victim and to indicate the urgency of treatment needed by said victim, said tag having visual and machine-readable information thereon indicating the identity and urgency of medical treatment needed by said victim,

c. electronically scanning and transmitting said machine-readable information on to a computer at said scene to track the location of said victims at said scene; and

d. transporting said victims to medical treatment facilities based on the urgency of treatment indicated on said tags.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said machine-readable information on each of said victims is transmitted to medical treatment facilities to which the victims may be transported.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said tag has visually readable colors thereon indicating the urgency of treatment needed by the victim.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said tag has symbols thereon indicating the urgency of treatment needed by the victim.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said machine-readable information on each of said victims is transmitted to emergency personnel at said scene.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said tag has numbers thereon to identify the victim to which the tag is connected.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said machine-readable information is a bar code.

15. A method for determining the urgency of treatment needed by victims at a multiple injury scene comprising the steps of:

a. examining the injured victims at said scene to determine the medical condition of said victims;

b. attaching a tag to each of said victims to identify said victim and to indicate the urgency of treatment needed by said victim, said tag having visual and machine-readable information thereon indicating the identity and urgency of medical treatment needed by said victim,

c. electronically scanning and transmitting said machine-readable information on to a computer at said scene to track the location of said victims at said scene; and

d. transporting said victims to a triage area at said scene;

e. examining said victims at said triage area to determine the medical condition of said victims;

b. updating said machine-readable information on said tag to indicate any change in the urgency of treatment needed by said victim,

c. electronically scanning and transmitting said machine-readable information on to said computer at said scene to track the location of said victims at said scene; and

d. transporting said victims to medical treatment facilities based on the urgency of treatment indicated on said tags.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said tags have removable labels containing said machine-readable information thereon.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said victims are moved to a treatment area at said scene prior to transporting said victims to medical treatment facilities, and said machine-readable information on said tags is electronically scanned and transmitted to said computer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said victims are moved from said treatment area to a loading area prior to transporting said victims to medical treatment facilities, and said machine-readable information on said tags is electronically scanned and transmitted to said computer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said machine-readable information on each of said victims is transmitted to medical treatment facilities to which the victims may be transported.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said machine- readable information is a bar code.