Student in School of Allied Health Sciences proposes electronic medical records for refugees

What if refugees around the world had ready access to their entire medical history?

Michael Kaitschuck, a junior health informatics student in the School of Allied Health Sciences at the Medical College of Georgia, has been studying global health issues for years and proposed the idea of refugees storing their medical records on flash drives, memory cards that plug into computers and function as a portable hard drive, with their entire electronic medical history intact and readily available for physicians.

“Refugees move about all the time,” says Mr. Kaitschuck. “By providing a means for them to carry their medical records electronically, such as with flash drives, doctors will know what medications they’ve taken, what illnesses they’ve had, etc. Flash drives can be very beneficial.”

Mr. Kaitschuck recently proposed his idea to hundreds of students, global leaders and university officials worldwide at the invitation-only inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"I’ve always been interested in global issues and have wanted to help for a long time, but I wasn’t sure what I could do,” Mr. Kaitschuck says. “A few years ago, I began researching and found the Clinton Global Initiative, and I wanted to get involved and make a commitment.”

President Clinton launched the initiative in 2005 to unite global leaders and solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The Clinton Global Initiative University is a new project that challenges college students and universities to undertake global problems with practical, innovative solutions. The university’s four main focus areas are energy and climate change, global health, human rights and peace and poverty alleviation.

“The conference was absolutely fascinating. Not only did I get to shake President Clinton’s hand and meet Lance Armstrong and Brad Pitt, but I met and sat with some exceptional globally minded students who brought many wonderful ideas to the table,” says Mr. Kaitschuck. “I sat next to a doctoral student from Zimbabwe who is working on repairing medical equipment in Africa. Just hearing her ideas helped me develop my own.

“A lot of students are interested in public service and getting involved but they just aren’t sure where to start,” he adds. “Now they do – I think everyone left completely motivated.”

Mr. Kaitschuck says he plans on further developing his proposal.

Copyright 2007
Medical College of Georgia
All rights reserved.

School of Allied Health Sciences | Medical College of Georgia
Please email comments, suggestions or questions to:
Kenda Rindt, krindt@mcg.edu
April 15, 2008