System Architecture

Raytheon developed a version of the St. Louis MMRS concept called the Electronic Patient Tracking System. Using the Electronic Patient Tracking System, the first responders can quickly gather on-scene casualty information, designate a transport location, and disseminate the information to command centers, hospitals and support agencies.

This system uses wireless communication with hand-held Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to scan patient barcode identification, collect patient information, store it to a central database, and provide it to emergency personnel over the Internet. Through a barcode scanner, the Electronic Patient Tracking System records the patients’ departure from the incident scene and their arrival at the hospital. Various users and agencies use the Electronic Patient Tracking System to find information about the incident and patients. The Emergency Command Center logs into the secure web site and determines how many casualties are at each scene and their condition. They then make informed decisions on how to dispatch emergency response units and which hospitals will receive the patients. The hospitals monitor the situation through the Electronic Patient Tracking System and are aware of how many patients are being transported to the hospital. Furthermore, additional patient information is collected until the patient is released, admitted, or transferred to another hospital. The Emergency Information Center and other support agencies use Electronic Patient Tracking System data to provide family and friends with status via a central phone number established at a call center. Raytheon developed this system for multiple-casualty emergency response for states and large municipalities.