Patient Connectivity During Power Outages

Power outages can be devastating for people who rely on portable ventilators and other electricity-dependent durable medical equipment (DME). But thanks to innovative solutions from winners of a contest sponsored by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, emergencies won’t have to become life-or-death situations.

The first-prize team, Leo Angelo Gumpas and Xadean Ahmasi, created an integrated, Internet-based system that automatically monitors and transmits essential data from DME to caregivers and responders to provide actionable information in support of emergency planning and response operations.

Second-place winner Stan Barrack created an integrated set of tools that could use inexpensive technology, such as a cellular phone application, to securely share critical information on the status of DMEs with existing data centers where specific patient information is stored.

Third place went to An-Hu-Li and David-Li, whose idea for a cost-effective wireless DME status reporter is based on two-way radio technology. Their device would securely transmit vital information between a patient’s DME unit and authorized users, such as caregivers and first responders, operating on the same radio frequency.