Abstract
In large scale emergencies with many casualties, personnel require an updated view of the situation at all times to contribute effectively to the rescue operation. Experience from full scale field exercises shows that the tools available today - mainly paper forms and radio communication - do not give the required support. SINTEF has developed FieldCare, a demonstrator to investigate how handheld terminals, wireless networks and electronic patient tags can improve information flow and patient tracking in rescue operations. In March 2005, a structured evaluation of FieldCare was carried out by an expert user panel, consisting of health and police personnel with relevant experience from large scale operations. From this and previous user feedback, we conclude that the FieldCare concept appears to have major potential for improving information flow between the site of accident and relevant coordination centres, and for generating useful overviews. Electronic tags can provide simple patient identification, and be an effective enabler for much needed patient tracking support, even inside the hospital. It also seems feasible that such a tool could be adapted to everyday pre-hospital work, thus ensuring everyday use - which is a precondition for effective use in crisis situations.
