In 2006, our region suffered massive flooding. We even had to evacuate one hospital to another. We opened an evacuation shelter in the gymnasium at the local university. One section was basically a field hospital for the medically needy evacuees. Our patient record-keeping at that time was a little week.
We recently suffered another massive flood, several-fold worse than 2006. 30,000 people, 15% of our county's population,were evacuated. We had 1800 people in an evacuation shelter in that same gymnasium. About 100 were "medical needs" evacuees--oxygen, BiPAP, skilled nursing needs, etc. Our record keeping was better this time, but still left something to be desired.
I'm brainstorming ideas, both paper and electronic. Does anyone have any experience using Epidata as a relational database, so as to serve as a simple lightweight electronic medical record during a disaster?
Thanks.
--Chris Ryan, MD Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine SUNY Upstate Medical University, Binghamton, NY and Medical Director, Broome County Health Department