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25 - Patient Identification and Tracking
from PART II - OPERATIONAL ISSUES
- By Darlene A. Gidley, Ciraolo Michael
Edited by Kristi L. Koenig, University of California, Irvine, Carl H. Schultz, University of California, Irvine
Book:

Koenig and Schultz's Disaster Medicine

Published online:

05 August 2011

Print publication:

30 September 2009, pp 377-388
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Summary

This chapter focuses on the considerations that should be given for tracking victims who are not already easily located and identified through existing systems. There are two components of a patient-tracking system. The first part is the initial collection of data and entry into a system. The second component is the data portal that receives, aggregates, and disseminates data that emergency medical services (EMS) or healthcare personnel collect. The regional/state/national data portal must allow patient tracking by unique identifiers regardless of where they are physically located. The science of patient tracking is in its infancy and suffers from ambiguity over the very concept of patient tracking. The tracking systems currently under development have not been tested under actual disaster conditions. Nevertheless, their ongoing development and refinement should be encouraged as it is likely to improve future disaster management.