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Today I volunteered at a medical sorting and packing center called Project CURE that sends donated medical supplies all over the world to developing countries. The typical volunteer has tiny to no medical knowledge, and yet is given the task of identifying and sorting various, randomly donated supplies into specific categories such as Neurosurgery, Biomed, Sutures, Ostomy supplies, etc.. (80+ categories). And the supplies generally have obscure labels or no label at all (these supplies seem to be odds and ends extras that have been thrown into a box and sent over to the sorting center.) In order to identify which category a supply falls under, a volunteer must look up key words on the object’s label in a binder organized by the object’s name or use or the manufacturer of the object. This was ridiculously tedious, and it left plenty of room for error. Oftentimes a volunteer could not locate the supply in the binders, so they made a “guess-timate” as to where it should go.

I think there is a easy answer to this inefficiency: a computerized search engine that would grant one to type in keywords on the label, and would generate a list of the most likely matches, or identifications of the object, with thumbnail photos next to each possibility so that there is no confusion whatsoever of what it is. The system would identify the supply and provide the category for which it falls under. This would likely increase the efficiency of the volunteer project by tenfold, and would in turn grant for quicker shipment of the supplies to the people who need it.

Right now it takes about 2 years for a request from a medical center to be answered by the shipment of much-needed supplies. I think we can do better.

I could put in the time necessary to accomplish it. I just do not know what program to use to accomplish this task. Can anyone help me out? I am a swift learner. I know I can do this.
You will also be helping out millions of people who lack basic medical care!! Thank you!

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