Theatre Medical Data Store

In a mobile medical environment, where can patient data be permanently stored so that medical personnel can gain access to that mobile data as well as allowing that data to be included in a Transportable Computerized based Patient Record (TCPR)? Such mobile data may be referred to as orphan data, since it has no permanent parent system, no permanent place to reside, and can be generated anywhere including on an ambulance, airplane, ship, at a remote clinic, or in the field. Such orphan data includes patient demographics and field encounter information read from a Medical Information Carrier (MIC) such as the smartcard or patient vital signs, ultrasound, and scope images captured by the Medical Mobile Monitor (M3). This problem was solved by the Pacific Regional Program Office (PRPO) Pacific Medical Network (PacMedNet) Project by creating a Theatre Medical Data Store (TMDS). PacMedNet uses the TMDS in two configurations, local and regional. The local TMDS is used as a temporary storage location of orphan data at a mobile facility until it can be moved to a regional TMDS where the data can be permanently stored and made available for viewing in a TCPR. The paper describes the evolution of the TMDS concept, discusses the challenges of implementing a TMDS and future uses of the TMDS, including: (1) permanent storage for vital patient information from any system in a mobile environment and not limiting the TMDS to only orphan data; (2) data warehousing; and (3) allowing controlled public access to patient data.