Challenges to effective crisis management: using information and communication technologies to coordinate emergency medical services and emergency department teams.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to identify the major challenges to coordination between emergency department (ED) teams and emergency medical services (EMS) teams.


METHODS
We conducted a series of focus groups involving both ED and EMS team members using a crisis scenario as the basis of the focus group discussion. We also collected organizational workflow data.


RESULTS
We identified three major challenges to coordination between ED and EMS teams including ineffectiveness of current information and communication technologies, lack of common ground, and breakdowns in information flow.


CONCLUSIONS
The three challenges highlight the importance of designing systems from socio-technical perspective. In particular, these inter-team coordination systems must support socio-technical issues such as awareness, context, and workflow between the two teams.
College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-6823, USA. mreddy@ist.psu.edu
Madhu C
MC
Reddy
Sharoda A
SA
Paul
Joanna
J
Abraham
Michael
M
McNeese
Christopher
C
DeFlitch
John
J
Yen
D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004631:Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017144:Focus Groups