The Trauma Patient Tracking System: implementing a wireless monitoring infrastructure for emergency response

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Disaster Response Technology
• Wireless Sensor Networks

Background:

• Mass trauma events overwhelm emergency personnel, complicating patient prioritization and care.
• Efficient tracking of injured individuals is critical for effective disaster response and resource allocation.
• Current systems may lack the robustness to operate in dynamic, infrastructure-compromised environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a Trauma Patient Tracking System (TPTS) for real-time patient monitoring in mass casualty incidents.
• To enhance the prioritization of care and assess treatment times for disaster victims.
• To provide a versatile tracking solution for both indoor and outdoor environments, including contamination assessment.

Main Methods:

• Development of a TPTS utilizing wireless monitoring devices (tags) for each patient.
• Integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Television/Radio Frequency (TVRF) technologies for location tracking.
• Implementation of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)/TCP/IP networking for tag communication with a central server.
• Inclusion of a mobile Wi-Fi basestation with redundant internet connectivity for system fault tolerance.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the system's capability to track multiple patients in a simulated urban trauma scenario.
• Validated the robustness of the TPTS in providing continuous location data.
• Showcased the system's potential for improving patient care prioritization and response time analysis.

Conclusions:

• The TPTS offers a reliable solution for managing mass trauma situations by enabling real-time patient tracking.
• The system's hybrid location technology and fault-tolerant design ensure operability even with damaged infrastructure.
• TPTS can significantly improve emergency personnel training, identify response bottlenecks, and aid in contamination site determination.