Using Mobile Hand-Held Computers in Disasters

This paper discusses the design and prototypical implementation of a mobile user-interface to assist paramedics in disaster operations based on the mSTaRT triage algorithm. Due to the increasing use of algorithms in the disaster management the introduction of mobile hand-held computers stands to reason. The triage algorithm has been implemented on hand-held computers and tested in a disaster control exercise to evaluate its functionality in real situations. Since mobile, computer-based triage systems for paramedics must not delay the care taking procedures, the major indicator to measure the performance was the time needed by the proposed system as opposed to current paper based methods. The evaluation results were positive.