The size and computing power of Windows Mobile devices make them the perfect companion for physicians, nurse practitioners, EMTs, First Responders, and others in the healthcare field.

One of the largest growth areas of Line of Business (LOB) applications across the U.S. Federal Government comes from the medical and health community.

Because of the ubiquity of the Microsoft tools and technologies platform as well as a large COTS market of Windows Mobile devices, there has been much organic development across the government by developers and practitioners who wish to have the right tools at their side.

A good case in point would be the work of former Special Operations medic Tommy Morris.

BMIS-T

Perhaps one of the most widely deployed Windows Mobile applications in the U.S. military is the Battlefield Medical Information System-Tactical (BMIS‑T), a solution developed by Mr. Morris.

BMIS-T is a tool that is currently deployed in the tens of thousands of units for the war effort in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also used by other agencies within the U.S. Government such as the Executive Office of the President and Office of the State Department as well as all units of the DoD. Allied Governments have also picked up on BMIS-T.

Military medics save lives in the field, and now get some high-tech help with a critical part of that job—tracking medical information on the troops under their care. This traditionally time-consuming, paper-based task has been required by law since veterans returned from the 1990 Persian Gulf War with undocumented illnesses, injuries, and exposures. As a former medic, Morris took up the challenge of improving both medical care and record keeping by creating a point-of-care handheld assistant based on Windows Mobile software. The solution gives medical providers an all-in-one tool for diagnosing and treating conditions and capturing patient information. Snapshots of unit health improve tactical advantage, which can result in a more agile military force.

While with the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Mr. Morris developed BMIS-T. He currently holds the title of Director, Deployment Technologies & Support Programs, FHP&RP, TMA, OASD(HA) where he oversees troop health readiness.

BMIS-T responds to the problem of incomplete medical records for those serving in our military. The importance of a correct record is two-fold: it guides follow-up care and determines eligibility for medical benefits after discharge from the military. Morris puts it this way: "Essentially, if medical information from an injury, illness, or exposure wasn't captured and documented, then it didn't happen, and that service member isn't able to get follow-up medical benefits."

Pen-and-paper methods require time that a medical first responder may not have when treating multiple casualties. Says Morris, "All too often for medics on the front line, it comes down to a choice—either write a record or treat a patient, and the choice is obvious."

Another challenge is the need to keep numerous medical references on hand. Although well trained, medics sometimes treat illnesses and injuries they have never encountered, or haven't handled for a long time. Some Special Forces medics serve in remote geographic regions, where carrying heavy medical reference manuals can slow progress. Says Morris, "These medics, who are war fighters first and medics second, given the choice, would rather carry bullets or bandages and not encumber their units with books and medical forms."

Based on his more than 16 years' experience as a medic, Morris knew there had to be a way to make a first responder's job easier and improve record-keeping, and thus provide better, faster care.