Data quality for situational awareness during mass-casualty events

AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2007 Oct 11:2007:176-80.

Abstract

Incident Command systems often achieve situational awareness through manual paper-tracking systems. Such systems often produce high latencies and in-complete data, resulting in inefficient and ineffective resource deployment. WIISARD (Wireless Internet Information System for Medical Response in Disasters) collects much more data than a paper-based system, dramatically reducing latency while increasing the kinds and quality of information available to incident commanders. Yet, the introduction of IT into a disaster setting is not problem-free. Notably, system component failures can delay the delivery of data. The type and extent of a failure can have varying effects on the usefulness of information displays. We describe a small, coherent set of customizble information overlays to address this problem, and we discuss reactions to these displays by medical commanders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Disasters*
  • Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems / standards*
  • Emergency Medical Services / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Information Systems / standards*
  • Internet
  • Quality Control
  • Rescue Work / organization & administration
  • User-Computer Interface