INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis 500 spectators, participants and crews expect nonstop excitement and outstanding racing at the world's largest sporting event. They will find that and more at this year's Indy 500.
Along with the excitement of one of the world's greatest motor sport competitions and, for the first time at any type of mass gathering , the electronic medical records (particularly of those hailing from Indiana, the most healthcare wired state in the country) will be instantly, securely available on site – in this case the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Clarian Emergency Medical Center. The virtual medical record of previous tests, diagnoses and treatments will provide caregivers access to the medical histories necessary to determine the best course of treatment.
"The Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC), developed by the physician researchers of the Regenstrief Institute, allows emergency department providers across the state, to obtain patients' medical histories, providing the ED provider with critical information about his or her patient. Nowhere else in the nation has this ability," said John T. Finnell, M.D., a Regenstrief investigator and an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
"Now we are expanding INPC's capability to the Speedway's medical facility. This will definitely help spectators, participants and crew members who become ill or injured get the best care possible and it will also help us strategize for future events such as a Hurricane Katrina type disaster or a mass casualty scenario," added Dr. Finnell.
At the Speedway, first aid stands will do initial triage and, if necessary, the individual will be taken to the Clarian Emergency Medical Center. Typically, several hundred patients are seen at the facility on Race Day.
"Not only will this technology assist our medical care providers to obtain accurate and timely information regarding past medical history, medications and allergies, it will also provide for a record of the care provided for future reference by the patient's primary care provider or other physician consultants," said Geoffrey L. Billows, M.D., medical director, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Patients who require further diagnostic or therapeutic intervention are transported to one of the area hospitals, where information from their initial evaluation and treatment at the track will be immediately available.
INPC currently provides access to approximately 1.5 billion pieces of secure health data including admission and discharge notes, laboratory test results and a myriad of other critical information.
Created with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine, INPC serves as the backbone for the Indiana Health Information Exchange. INPC is the model to which the federal government and many states are looking as the nation moves toward electronic medical records as a standard of care.
The Regenstrief Institute (www.regenstrief.org), an internationally recognized informatics and health-care research organization, is dedicated to the improvement of health through work that enhances the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Established in Indianapolis by philanthropist Sam Regenstrief in 1969 on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, the institute is closely affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana. Regenstrief Institute research scientists form a highly respected cadre of health services researchers linked to one of the largest and most comprehensive medical informatics laboratories in the world.