Satellite-enabled eHealth applications in disaster management-experience from a readiness exercise

Despite progress in information and communication technologies (ICT), communication is still a bottleneck for health early warning and response systems. Satellite communications combined with a local WiFi network promise rapid deployment and facilitate coordinated response and optimal adjustment of resources for disaster management. In this paper, we present experiences with extending eHealth applications to support disaster medicine over an emergency hybrid satellite-WiFi infrastructure. The prehospital health emergency information system (PHEIS) of Crete was extended to provide mobile access to volunteer rescue workers and enable triage on the field. Moreover, an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system was extended for rapid entry of chronic diseases and medication needs, as well as epidemiology protocols through the SAFE system. Operational validation in a 2-day earthquake readiness exercise confirmed the effectiveness of PHEIS, while asserting the need for disaster-specific EHR workflows.