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Implementation of an Electronic Health Record System for Use Inhumanitarian Emergencies, Disaster Response, and Conflict Zones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2024

Sarah D Draugelis ,
Erik C Brown ,
Sean G Smith ,
Philip Sutherland ,
George A Yendewa ,
Amir M Mohareb  and
Donald A Donahue Jr.
Sarah D Draugelis
Affiliation:
Team fEMR, St Claire Shores, MI, USA
Erik C Brown
Affiliation:
Team fEMR, St Claire Shores, MI, USA Department of Neurosurgery, Valley Children’s Hospital, Madera, CA, USA
Sean G Smith
Affiliation:
Team fEMR, St Claire Shores, MI, USA Critical-Care Professionals International, Graham, FL, USA
Philip Sutherland
Affiliation:
Team fEMR, St Claire Shores, MI, USA Department of Family Medicine, UT College of Medicine, Chattanooga, TN, USA
George A Yendewa
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Amir M Mohareb
Affiliation:
Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Donald A Donahue Jr.
Affiliation:
Team fEMR, St Claire Shores, MI, USA Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
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Abstract

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Objective

Despite the global expansion of electronic medical record (EMR) systems and their increased integration with artificial intelligence (AI), their utilization in disaster settings remains limited, and few studies have evaluated their implementation. We aimed to evaluate Fast Electronic Medical Record (fEMR), a novel, mobile EMR designed for resource-limited settings, based on user feedback.

Methods

We examined usage data through October 2022 to categorize the nature of its use for disaster response and determine the number of patients served. We conducted interviews with stakeholders and gathered input from clinicians who had experience using fEMR.

Results

Over eight years, fEMR was employed 60 times in 11 countries across four continents by 14 organizations (universities, non-profits, and disaster response teams). This involved 37,500+ patient encounters in diverse settings including migrant camps at the US-Mexico and Poland-Ukraine borders, mobile health clinics in Kenya and Guatemala, and post-earthquake relief in Haiti. User feedback highlighted adaptability, but suggested hardware and workflow improvements.

Conclusion

EMR systems have the potential to enhance healthcare delivery in humanitarian responses, offer valuable data for planning and preparedness, and support measurement of effectiveness. As a simple, versatile EMR system, fEMR has been deployed to numerous disaster response and low-income settings.

Type
Abstract
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 18 , 2024 , e182
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.
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