Bar Coded Triage Tag
Interesting idea (from Firehouse.com):
The Ortiz brothers took the triage tag, a basic product already in use by many emergency responders around the country to designate urgency of care, and took it one step further.From their experience in the field, they found that keeping track of a large number of people with different levels of injury was a nightmare. By placing bar codes on the tags, the brothers envisioned an information technology system that could help paramedics and doctors track patients from the scene of the accident to the hospital room.
This would be an excellent tool for use in regular hospital settings too.
As usual, when a new technology emerges, the cost of the equipment is going to be an issue at first. I don't see this being used in rural areas or in small departments either. It won't be used very often and the cost of the equipment would be prohibitive.
Comments
The bar code triage tags come in very handy. In my department we have about 270 firefighters and we are cross trained runnning 8 medic units. I recently taught the triage updates and we have switched to the Virginia state triage tag which utilizes bar code technology. The system is sound and if implemented correctly it will save lives and time. If it isn't used to it's fullest potential then it is a waste of time and money. As for the cost, most of us are able to get grants for equipment. The biggest issue is to train train train if you don't have a high call volume or experience mass injury incidents.
Posted by: FireHistory at May 4, 2006 08:09 AM
