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Chapter 12 - Information and Communication Technologies in a Field Hospital

from Section 3 - Operational Considerations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2020

Elhanan Bar-On
Affiliation:
The Israel Center for Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Response, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Kobi Peleg
Affiliation:
National Center for Trauma & Emergency Medicine Research, The Gertner Institute for Health Policy and Epidemiology and Tel-Aviv University, Disaster Medicine Department
Yitshak Kreiss
Affiliation:
Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
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Summary

A disaster creates an information crisis, representing an increased demand for information and a reduced ability to provide it. Chaos poses challenges to a successful field hospital operation which must be organized, orderly, and be data driven. Information needs include creating a unique namespace, tracking and documenting medical information, tracking stocks, utilization of medical supplies, and critical hospital assets. A field hospital information system should create situational awareness for key personnel at all times. Clinical data record keeping is an ethical as well as a legal and a practical need, enabling continuity of care. Elaborate planning is crucial. A small IT team must possess diverse skills necessary to handle various tasks including system and network deployment and administration, application support, and telecommunication equipment deployment and support. While developing software emphasis should be given to ease of use, robustness, simultaneous updates by many users, quick user switching, safeguarding data confidentiality while maintaining usability and throughput and interfaces with imaging and lab equipment. Hardware must be robust and immune to power shortages. A combined local area network comprising of wired and wireless components is preferred. Redundancy and backup are key. Regular training of IT personnel must be performed toward a real deployment. Communication capabilities are crucial to a successful deployment.

Type
Chapter
Information
Field Hospitals
A Comprehensive Guide to Preparation and Operation
, pp. 101 - 118
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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