A thumb impression, and any hospital should be able to get a person’s medical history. A software for this is what a young techie in Kochi has developed.
It was circumstances that forced K. Nidesh to look at this concept when he, writhing in pain, found it difficult to explain his illness to the doctor last month. He thought about an unconscious accident victim and how difficult treatment would be for the doctor.
The software is simple and what hospitals need to do is have a one-time entry of details of the patient and take his or her thumb impression which would have the patient’s unique identity.
“Hospitals need to make use of the system and then get linked with similar hospitals. A patient who has registered in Thiruvananthapuram can easily meet a doctor right north in Kasargod and the thumb impression will give details of all the treatment that he or she has undergone. Initially, hospitals can make use of this technology and ‘uniquely identify’ all patients coming there. And the expenditure involved would be in the range of Rs.4-5 lakh which would include hosting the programme and server cost. Keeping of backfiles of patients then would be a thing of the past," asserts Nidesh.
The hitch, according to a doctor is that hospitals should be willing to be networked. For this, the government can take the initiative. He says this would be of great help for patients who need emergency care.