Development of self-report applications for home-care patients to facilitate appropriate disaster countermeasures

Abstract

Using the K-DiPS app, we reviewed information about patients’ current medical device and medication needs, and investigated the risks of tsunami and landslide disasters using a geographical information system (GIS). Of 58 home-care patients, 4 use medical devices. Additionally, patients have 243 prescriptions for internal medicines and 51 for other medicines. Five home-care patients are located in areas of predicted tsunami inundation and six in areas that have sediment disaster alerts. An evacuation simulation using the GIS showed that five people located in the tsunami inundation area could completely evacuate before the tsunami arrived. If these five patients were moved to the nearest shelter or tsunami evacuation tower, two would move in the direction of the tsunami. Therefore, moving people in an opposite direction to a tsunami is important in ensuring safe evacuation. Home-care patients and professionals enter their own information into the K-DiPS app, which facilitates disaster preparedness by providing up-to-date information at all times. GIS evacuation simulations are useful for early evacuation measures because they show appropriate evacuation sites, routes, directions, and speeds.