Introduction to smart card technology and initial medical application.

ABSTRACT

Smart card technology is the name applied to the use of a plastic card with an embedded computer chip. Recent development of smart card software has allowed storage and retrieval of medical information, affording the opportunity to provide a standardized, portable, accessible medical record for use in prehospital and emergency department patient encounters. We describe the smart card concept and its initial deployment in a section of a large Midwestern urban area.