The speed and outer boundries of healthcare informatics resources used in the case of Osama bin Laden has to be mind blowing!
I imagine that the USA armed service personnel had pictures and documentation stored on electronic devices to identify Osama bin Laden on the spot. These items had to include markings, scars, and maybe birthmarks. The same things we identify patients by in the hospital and other settings.
There also may have been a small portable lab setup present to quickly identify blood type. This does not identify a specific person. But it allows the personnel to quickly keep searching if the wrong blood type is shown. Again, this blood typing is used in the USA for quick close identification.
Telemedicine had to be in place also. It may or may not have been used during the raid. If the armed service personnel needed an answer or needed to send data, then Telemedicine or some form of it had to be quickly accessible.
I will let other healthcare informatics professionals discuss the aspect of rapid DNA analysis.
Original Post
May 11, 2011
President Obama will not release public pictures of the dead Osama bin Laden, comment
I wished I were part of the team that performed an autopsy on Osama bin Laden. There were more than the usual number of personnel for a single autopsy and/or there were several shortcuts to accomplish such an autopsy in a very short time. An autopsy will continue weeks, months, and sometimes years after a person is dissected and buried. Looking at television videos, I will guess that Osama bin Laden may have arthritis. This will show up in the forensic investigation of his death especially if it is chronic.
Original Post
May 5, 2011
President Obama will not release public pictures of the dead Osama bin Laden
Is President Barack Obama correct on this decision not to release disfigured photos of the dead Osama Bin Laden? Yes, he is.
The spirit of international and US laws prohibit the public release of photos of the deceased. Note that the US is unhappy when pictures of dead Americans are broadcasted publicly.
Morally speaking, most Americans would not want pictures of their disfigured passed away loved one broadcasted publicly. The moral, social and spiritual beliefs of a victim and family members should be taken into account. Also the moral, social, and spiritual belief of the country in possession of the pictures should be taken into account.
Ethically speaking, members of the Forensic Medical and Nursing profession are not permitted to show public pictures of the deceased. This brings me to another point. Forensic physicians, nurses, and personnel should be involved with the handling of Osama bin Laden and others. Forensic healthcare personnel are trained to be objective. They will confirm the cause of death, the time of death, the identification, and identify extra factors. The forensic healthcare personnel are removed from political and military biases. Their training includes caring for victims of war on both sides and innocent bystanders.
Healthcare Informatics Resources 