MARC ES: a computer program for estimating medical information storage requirements.
During combat, documentation of medical treatment information is critical for maintaining continuity of patient care. However, knowledge of prior status and treatment of patients is limited to the information noted on a paper field medical card. The Multi-technology Automated Reader Card (MARC), a smart card, has been identified as a potential storage mechanism for casualty medical information. Focusing on data capture and storage technology, this effort developed a Windows program, MARC ES, to estimate storage requirements for the MARC. The program calculates storage requirements for a variety of scenarios using medical documentation requirements, casualty rates, and casualty flows and provides the user with a tool to estimate the space required to store medical data at each echelon of care for selected operational theaters. The program can also be used to identify the point at which data must be uploaded from the MARC if size constraints are imposed. Furthermore, this model can be readily extended to other systems that store or transmit medical information.