EmergenSYS: Mobile Technologies as Support for Emergency Management

The Socio-Ethical Considerations Surrounding Government Mandated Location-Based Services during Emergencies

ICT Ethics and Security in the 21st Century ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-573-5.ch007 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 129-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Anas Aloudat ◽

Katina Michael

Keyword(s):

Emergency Management ◽

National Security ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Location Based Services ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Australian Government ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Location Services

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility to their citizens to safeguard them against both natural and human-made hazards, and today, national security has grown to encapsulate such societal and economic securitization. However, some citizens and lobby groups have emphasized that such breakthrough technologies need to be deployed with caution as they are fraught with ethical considerations, including the potential for breaches in privacy, security, and trust.

Download Full-text

The Value of Government Mandated Location-Based Services in Emergencies in Australia

Journal of Information Technology Research ◽

10.4018/jitr.2011100103 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 41-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anas Aloudat ◽

Katina Michael ◽

Roba Abbas ◽

Mutaz Al-Debei

Keyword(s):

Emergency Management ◽

National Security ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Location Based Services ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Australian Government ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Location Services ◽

Big Picture ◽

National Emergency

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian Bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility to their citizens to safeguard them against both natural and human-made hazards and today national security has grown to encapsulate such societal and economic securitization. However, some citizens and lobby groups have emphasized that such breakthrough technologies need to be deployed with caution as they are fraught with ethical considerations, including the potential for breaches in privacy, security and trust. The other problem is that real world implementations of national emergency alerts have not always worked reliably and their value has come into question as a result. This paper provides a big picture view of the value of government-mandated location-based services during emergencies, and the challenges ensuing from their use.

Download Full-text

The Value of Government Mandated Location-Based Services in Emergencies in Australia

Interdisciplinary Advances in Information Technology Research ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-3625-5.ch017 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 244-272

Author(s):

Anas Aloudat ◽

Katina Michael ◽

Roba Abbas ◽

Mutaz Al-Debei

Keyword(s):

Emergency Management ◽

National Security ◽

Real World ◽

Location Based Services ◽

The Other ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Location Services ◽

Big Picture ◽

National Emergency

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian Bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility to their citizens to safeguard them against both natural and human-made hazards and today national security has grown to encapsulate such societal and economic securitization. However, some citizens and lobby groups have emphasized that such breakthrough technologies need to be deployed with caution as they are fraught with ethical considerations, including the potential for breaches in privacy, security and trust. The other problem is that real world implementations of national emergency alerts have not always worked reliably and their value has come into question as a result. This paper provides a big picture view of the value of government-mandated location-based services during emergencies, and the challenges ensuing from their use.

Download Full-text

Use of a Smartphone Platform to Help With Emergency Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Observational Study

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/25488 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. e25488

Author(s):

Yiqun Wu ◽

Fei Chen ◽

Haiqing Song ◽

Wuwei Feng ◽

Jinping Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Emergency Management ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Health Management ◽

Digital Health ◽

First Aid ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Tissue Type ◽

Management Processes ◽

Clinical Records

Background To improve the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), timely thrombolytic therapy is crucial. Series strategies were recommended to reduce door-to-needle (DTN) time for AIS. Mobile technologies are feasible and have been used in stroke management for various purposes. However, the use of smartphone platforms that integrate series strategies through the entire first aid process to improve emergency management of AIS remains to be verified. Objective This study aims to describe the utility and application of a smartphone platform in the emergency management of AIS and report the DTN time for patients with AIS during its 2-year application period. Our results are relevant to digital health management. Methods A smartphone platform named “Green” was developed to incorporate the field assessment, hospital recommendation, prehospital notification, real-time communication, clinical records creation, key time-stamping, and quality control to streamline and standardize overall AIS emergency management processes. The emergency medical system (EMS) and all the emergency departments in Beijing have used this platform since 2018. From January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, 8457 patients diagnosed with AIS received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator therapy. The median DTN time and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were reported. Results During the 2-year application period of this platform, the median DTN time was 45 minutes, and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were 74.6% and 50.5%, respectively. The median DTN time was significantly reduced from 50 minutes in 2018 to 42 minutes in 2019 (P<.001). The proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes increased from 66.1% and 40.7%, respectively, in 2018 to 80.7% and 57.3%, respectively, in 2019 (both P<.001). Sustained improvement in DTN time was seen during all the observed months. The improvement occurred across all facilities, and the variations among hospitals also decreased. The median DTN time for patients transferred by ambulances (43 minutes) was significantly shorter than those who reached hospitals by themselves (47 minutes; P<.001). Conclusions Sustained reductions in DTN time reflected the improvement in AIS emergency management processes. The use of a smartphone platform integrating recommended strategies throughout all first aid stages is a practical way to help the emergency management of AIS.

Download Full-text

Use of a Smartphone Platform to Help With Emergency Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Observational Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25488 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yiqun Wu ◽

Fei Chen ◽

Haiqing Song ◽

Wuwei Feng ◽

Jinping Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Emergency Management ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Health Management ◽

Digital Health ◽

First Aid ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Tissue Type ◽

Management Processes ◽

Clinical Records

BACKGROUND To improve the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), timely thrombolytic therapy is crucial. Series strategies were recommended to reduce door-to-needle (DTN) time for AIS. Mobile technologies are feasible and have been used in stroke management for various purposes. However, the use of smartphone platforms that integrate series strategies through the entire first aid process to improve emergency management of AIS remains to be verified. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the utility and application of a smartphone platform in the emergency management of AIS and report the DTN time for patients with AIS during its 2-year application period. Our results are relevant to digital health management. METHODS A smartphone platform named “Green” was developed to incorporate the field assessment, hospital recommendation, prehospital notification, real-time communication, clinical records creation, key time-stamping, and quality control to streamline and standardize overall AIS emergency management processes. The emergency medical system (EMS) and all the emergency departments in Beijing have used this platform since 2018. From January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, 8457 patients diagnosed with AIS received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator therapy. The median DTN time and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were reported. RESULTS During the 2-year application period of this platform, the median DTN time was 45 minutes, and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were 74.6% and 50.5%, respectively. The median DTN time was significantly reduced from 50 minutes in 2018 to 42 minutes in 2019 (P<.001). The proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes increased from 66.1% and 40.7%, respectively, in 2018 to 80.7% and 57.3%, respectively, in 2019 (both P<.001). Sustained improvement in DTN time was seen during all the observed months. The improvement occurred across all facilities, and the variations among hospitals also decreased. The median DTN time for patients transferred by ambulances (43 minutes) was significantly shorter than those who reached hospitals by themselves (47 minutes; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Sustained reductions in DTN time reflected the improvement in AIS emergency management processes. The use of a smartphone platform integrating recommended strategies throughout all first aid stages is a practical way to help the emergency management of AIS.

Download Full-text

The Socio-Ethical Considerations Surrounding Government Mandated Location-Based Services during Emergencies

Crisis Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-4707-7.ch045 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 918-943

Author(s):

Anas Aloudat ◽

Katina Michael

Keyword(s):

Emergency Management ◽

National Security ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Location Based Services ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Australian Government ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Location Services

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility to their citizens to safeguard them against both natural and human-made hazards, and today, national security has grown to encapsulate such societal and economic securitization. However, some citizens and lobby groups have emphasized that such breakthrough technologies need to be deployed with caution as they are fraught with ethical considerations, including the potential for breaches in privacy, security, and trust.

Download Full-text

Word-Finding Support From Mobile Technology Benefits a Woman With Aphasia

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication ◽

10.1044/aac24.1.26 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 26-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yvonne Gillette

Keyword(s):

Mobile Technology ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽

Feature Matching ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Alternative Communication ◽

Alternative Intervention ◽

Communication Assessment ◽

Word Finding ◽

Intervention Costs

Mobile technology provides a solution for individuals who require augmentative and alternative intervention. Principles of augmentative and alternative communication assessment and intervention, such as feature matching and the participation model, developed with dedicated speech-generating devices can be applied to these generic mobile technologies with success. This article presents a clinical review of an adult with aphasia who reached her goals for greater communicative participation through mobile technology. Details presented include device selection, sequence of intervention, and funding issues related to device purchase and intervention costs. Issues related to graduate student clinical education are addressed. The purpose of the article is to encourage clinicians to consider mobile technology when intervening with an individual diagnosed with mild receptive and moderate expressive aphasia featuring word-finding difficulties.

Download Full-text