title: Information needs of pre-hospital care providers - a requirements analysis.
abstract: To assess information needs of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel and the potential of electronic decision support tools, we surveyed 39 paramedic students and practicing EMS personnel. We found frequent use of paper-based tools, with imperfect accessibility and ease of use. Potential electronic decision support tools were rated as helpful, but some alerts were rated low. The results may be helpful in design, implementation and research of electronic decision support tools for EMS.
authors.affiliation: Health Informatics Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Devashish
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Muzna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Mandar M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gori
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Godwin
authors.forename: Todd B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Marcie H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Battles
authors.forename: Helmuth F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Orthner
mesh_terms: D003658:Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D006302:Health Services Research; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires