New Software to Aid Emergency Care Providers with Radiation Exposure
Emergency health care providers will soon have access to the latest version of software that can provide diagnostic information to help physicians make casualty treatment decisions during radiation exposure incidents.
This announcement came from Army Col. Patricia K. Lillis-Hearne, director of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), as copies of the Biodosimetry Assessment Tool (BAT), version 1.0, were distributed to members at the institute's Board of Governors meeting on Sept. 21.
"This is part of the institute's continuing effort to provide medical professionals with automated information tools and guidance that can be used to assess the level of radiation exposure and determine the appropriate treatment options," Lillis-Hearne said.
AFRRI Board of Governors members were the first to receive the latest BAT software as one component of AFRRI CD 07-1, Radiation Training and Assessment Tools, 4th edition. The BAT software application and other radiation biological dosimetry tools for emergency responders were developed in a research program led by Dr. William F. Blakely, AFRRI, Scientific Research Department.
Using checkboxes and text entries, the user enters information about the exposure situation and a victim's symptoms, blood counts, and dose level. The program compares that data with established radiation dose responses and provides a concise dose assessment.
Early this month, BAT version 1.0 will be available for download to others at www.afrri.usuhs.mil/www/outreach/biodostools.htm#software.