Multiple-casualty incident patient tracking

• US 6,305,605 B1
• Filed: 08/09/1999
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Total Control Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Total Control Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Goetz, John W., Guillot, Chad J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): St. Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/369,871
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/454, 235/462.01, 235/462.45, 235/462.46, 235/469, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/462.13, 705/1, 705/2, 705/5, 705/22
• 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 the scene to determine the medical condition of the victims, attaching a tag to each of the victims to identify the victim and to indicate the medical condition of the victim, the tag having machine-readable information thereon indicating the identity and medical condition of the victim, and the tag having visually readable colors thereon indicating the urgency of treatment needed by the victim, scanning and transmitting the machine-readable information on each of the victims to victim transportation units and other emergency personnel at the scene to enable transport personnel to determine which victims are in most urgent need of transport to a medical treatment facility, and transmitting the machine-readable information on each of the 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. attaching a tag to each of said victims, said tag having visual and machine-readable information thereon indicating the identity of said victim and a plurality of removable labels having machine-readable information thereon corresponding to urgency of treatment needed by said victim,

b. electronically scanning and storing said machine-readable information on said tag on each of said victims,

c. establishing a supervisor at said multiple injury scene, said supervisor establishing triage areas, treatment areas, and victim loading areas at said multiple injury scene and said supervisor being provided with equipment for polling, receiving and transmitting said electronically scanned machine-readable information stored on each of said victims to facilities remote from said multiple injury scene,

d. transporting said victims to said triage area and electronically scanning said machine-readable information on said label on said tag on each of said victims corresponding to the urgency of treatment needed by said victim,

e. transporting said victims to said treatment area and electronically scanning said machine-readable information on said label on said tag on each of said victims corresponding to the urgency of treatment needed by said victim, and

f. transporting said victims to said loading area and electronically scanning said machine-readable information on said label on said tag on each of said victims corresponding to the urgency of treatment needed by said victim.

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.