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Student Designs Invention That Could Save Lives
Doctors save lives every day, but who would have thought a 13-year-old would have a desire to do the same?
Sara Boerin, an eighth-grader at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School, won the award for best overall use of technology at the Invention Convention at the Bi-Lo Center.
Boerin created what she calls the SAMI or the Secure Access to Medical Information program. In her proposed invention, every patient would wear a bracelet that has a code on it, and with that code, medical information could be accessed through the Internet by the physician or emergency worker trying to save the patient’s life.
Boerin designed two levels of accessible information. Level I provides basic medical information, such as name, birth date, contact information and allergies. Level II provides the basic information along with a medical history of diseases, doctor’s visits and extensive contact information.
With the code on the bracelet, a physician would log on to the Web site, enter which user or level they are (I or II) and enter the code found on the bracelet, and all of the information would be available.
Exploring the ways she can help others is important to Boerin. “When I invent things, I like to help people,” she says. “So the things I invent help people and that encourages me a lot.”
Photo by Kathryn Mckenzie.
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Reginald on May 13th, 2008 12:41 pm
This is an interesting concept.
However, it does raise the question of personal information security.
How is a patients personal information protected using the process?
This is an important factor and obvious concern, as it is the same concern for every business on the internet.
Angela on May 13th, 2008 9:02 pm
I love hearing about young kids that come up with such innovative things. It reminds me how intelligent a child can be.
I agree with Reginald. How is the personal information protected? It does seem that it’d be a little more vulnerable to being stolen this way.
Melanie D. on May 14th, 2008 10:31 am
Google has started to build a platform very similar to what she claimed she had invented since last year. It doesn’t really matter who pioneered the idea though.
The issue, if this invention will really be actualized, is the security breach patients might face. Just think about the likelihood that marketers and other corporate entities will be able to exploit otherwise confidential data. Sounds really scary right? By putting your medical information on the internet, you are making yourself vulnerable to many kinds of security issues.
Sara on July 24th, 2008 10:12 am
About the Internet Security, Noone but the hospitals would know the website. There’s not only the bracelet either. There are other things that a patient could carry with them that would allow paramedics to access the code.
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