New Triage System Using Digitized Information Entered Via a Digital Pen

Abstract

Objectives: We have created a new triage tag using the Anoto Live Digital Pen（Anoto K.K., Tokyo, Japan）. We introduced this new triage tag and assessed whether this new triage system using digitized information entered via a digital pen can be used as an information-gathering tool during disasters.
Methods: We assessed our new triage tag by sending a PC digital data, which was useful and accurately transmitted in tabletop and field studies. In the field study, we assessed the accuracy of three categories of digitized data: check boxes, numeric characters, and letter characters.
Results: We could collect data from 39 simulated patients in the field study. The simulated patients’ information entered on the handwritten triage tag was quickly digitized and transmitted, and a chronologic list could be made. Assessment of the accuracy of the digitized data for each category was check box, 100.0%; numeric characters, 68.2%; and letter characters, 44.0%.
Conclusions: This new triage system using digitized information entered via a digital pen has some problems with the recognition of letter and numeric characters. However, it almost exactly digitized the data, and it may be a useful device during disasters in the future.