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Outside the Box: Contextualizing User Experience Challenges in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic Workflows

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HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Papers: Interaction, Knowledge and Social Media (HCII 2020)

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Abstract

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) often serve dual roles in their communities as both emergency medical providers and firefighters. Therefore, the demands and needs of these providers are different than those working directly in a hospital emergency room or medical office. Medics are required to treat a patient in less than ideal conditions where seconds can mean the difference between life and death. The goal of this work is to better understand how research informing technology for the emergency room (ER) can be linked to improving the user experience of EMTs and paramedics in the field. Through a review of relevant literature, we capture lessons learned in conveying information quickly, linking necessary information from disparate sources, and giving these providers accurate information to successfully treat and transport patients during prehospital care.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the anonymous paramedics and EMTs who participated in this study. Additionally, Katelynn would like to thank Joel Youker, Stephen Cabrera, and Andy Long for comments that helped to improve the manuscript. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Christopher Asseff, Connor Kuschel, and David Dangerfield. Thank you for the lifesaving care you provided to so many. These views are the authors alone and do not represent the official views of the University of Central Florida, the U.S. Government, or any fire department.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Katelynn A. Kapalo & Joseph J. LaViola Jr.

  2. Phoenix Fire Department, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Joseph A. Bonnell

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  1. Katelynn A. Kapalo
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  2. Joseph A. Bonnell
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  3. Joseph J. LaViola Jr.
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Correspondence to Katelynn A. Kapalo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Crete and Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Constantine Stephanidis

  2. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Gavriel Salvendy

  3. University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, USA

    June Wei

  4. Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Sakae Yamamoto

  5. Tokyo City University, Tokyo, Japan

    Hirohiko Mori

  6. Towson University, Towson, MD, USA

    Gabriele Meiselwitz

  7. Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, USA

    Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

  8. Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, USA

    Keng Siau

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Kapalo, K.A., Bonnell, J.A., LaViola, J.J. (2020). Outside the Box: Contextualizing User Experience Challenges in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic Workflows. In: Stephanidis, C., et al. HCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Papers: Interaction, Knowledge and Social Media. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12427. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60152-2_11

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