Method for privacy-protecting display and exchange of emergency information on Mobile devices

Abstract

First responders and emergency care providers make life or death decisions with little to no information about patient's medical problems. Access to a person's medical record could greatly improve the medical care they receive. Challenges to proving this information include finding the correct platform and protecting the patient's privacy. Current solutions are lacking in both these areas. Here we propose leveraging smartphone sensor and matrix barcode technology to allow users to securely encode sensitive information using the widely accepted Quick Response code standard. Placing this code on the phone's lock-screen removes the need to unlock the phone and search for it. Our solution lets users decode information, automatically notify authorized contacts of the nature of the emergency, and location where the patient is being cared for. Future research work will explore utilizing near field communication interfaces to augment the app's features for ease of use.