Development of a System for Remotely Assessing Trauma: "Remote Triage"

Despite technological advanced in battlefield management information systems, it is still difficult to assess the medical/physiological status of individual field personnel. This information is key to the effective utilization of medical resources, and the management of overall responses to battlefield injuries. A system that would provide the capability for pinpointing the location of injured personnel, and assessing their physiologic and diagnositc status, would allow medical personnel to dispatch injured personnel quickly and appropriately. The purpose of the proposed project is to develop and physiological sensors that would form the heart of such as system. The proposed system would provide a means to immediately transfer people with serious injuries to facilities that are best equipped to handle their condition. It would also provide a way to transfer people with less serious injuries to the appropriate facility based on the severity of their injury. In effect, such a system could actually provide a means for "remote triage", thus taking some of the burden of this task off field medical personnel who might be overburdened in critical times. Anticipated Benefits: The proposed project may have significant impact on older people who are functionally disabled and need help with activities of daily living. The increase in their numbers has caused considerable demand for home healthcare, and an increase in the number of people who are discharged from institutions with complex therapies like total parental nutrition, ventilator support, cardiac monitoring, etc. The proposed system could help ensure their safety and proper medical care.