Technology in Emergency Management

Technology in Healthcare Preparedness and Use of Emergency Response

Technology has changed nearly every facet of society including the field of public health. According to Mastrian & McGonigle (2017), technology has transformed the public health sector, especially in the management of public health data. IT has transformed how health data is captured, analyzed, and transformed. This impact is attributable to the role technology plays in two-way communication between different stakeholders in this sector including public health agencies, clinicians, clinical laboratories, and the community. Currently, there are numerous IT solutions that can be used to offer accurate and precise information to guide public health decisions and actions. As IT solutions are used to guide various public health actions, they are potent tools that can be utilized in healthcare preparedness and response. The use of technology in healthcare preparedness and emergency response primarily relates to the management of public health data. Based on insights obtained from the course, technology can be applied in emergency response to help in the management of data relating to disasters or emergencies.

One of the aspects of technology that can be used in healthcare preparedness and emergency response is artificial intelligence. Microsoft (2018) states that artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful technology solutions that can be used to enhance preparedness and response to disasters or emergencies like earthquakes. In aftermath of a 2011 tsunami that killed approximately 20,000 people in Japan, relevant agencies adopted artificial intelligence solutions to help enhance resiliency and preparedness of subsequent disasters. Artificial intelligence solutions were utilized in this case to improve mapping technology for emergency responders to have a better understanding and stand a better chance to rescue more lives in the event of a natural disaster. In essence, artificial intelligence solutions were employed to help enhance the capacities and capabilities of emergency responders and relief workers to save more lives when facing a natural disaster or other types of emergencies.

Artificial intelligence solutions help to improve preparedness and response to emergencies by providing relevant data that can be used to guide the actions of emergency responders and relief workers. Public health agencies can collaborate with technology companies to develop artificial intelligence solutions that improve data collection and utilization in emergency management. Through such partnerships, relevant public health agencies and other stakeholders would create a damage map in the aftermath of a disaster and use it to coordinate response initiatives and actions. This results in more effective rescue operations since artificial intelligence is largely beneficial in terms of image recognition. Emergency responders and relief workers can enhance the effectiveness of their rescue operations by utilizing damage information from the remote sensing image generated by artificial intelligence solutions.

Artificial intelligence is a potent tool for healthcare preparedness and emergency response as it handles two critical elements of emergency management: public health data and surveillance. With regard to public health data, artificial intelligence solutions provide one-stop avenues for the collection and management of emergency data. Before its use in emergency management, analysis of emergency data involved processing data using one software before transfer to another software for further analysis. This limited the ability to analyze relevant data rapidly and significantly affected rescue operations (Microsoft, 2018). Artificial intelligence solutions provide a streamlined way to implement the relevant algorithm in data analysis for improved emergency rescue operations. In addition, these solutions enhance rescue efforts by improving surveillance of affected areas using mapping technology. They promote automatic damage mapping, which saves time and improves the abilities of rescue operators and relief workers to save a lot of lives and property.