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  • Title: Designing and executing a functional exercise to test a novel informatics tool for mass casualty triage.
    Author: Donevant SB, Svendsen ER, Richter JV, Tavakoli AS, Craig JBR, Boltin ND, Valafar H, DiNardi SR, Culley JM.
    Journal: J Am Med Inform Assoc; 2019 Oct 01; 26(10):1091-1098. PubMed ID: 31246255.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: The testing of informatics tools designed for use during mass casualty incidents presents a unique problem as there is no readily available population of victims or identical exposure setting. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of designing, planning, and executing a functional exercise to accomplish the research objective of validating an informatics tool specifically designed to identify and triage victims of irritant gas syndrome agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During a 3-year time frame, the research team and partners developed the Emergency Department Informatics Computational Tool and planned a functional exercise to test it using medical records data from 298 patients seen in 1 emergency department following a chlorine gas exposure in 2005. RESULTS: The research team learned valuable lessons throughout the planning process that will assist future researchers with developing a functional exercise to test informatics tools. Key considerations for a functional exercise include contributors, venue, and information technology needs (ie, hardware, software, and data collection methods). DISCUSSION: Due to the nature of mass casualty incidents, testing informatics tools and technology for these incidents is challenging. Previous studies have shown a functional exercise as a viable option to test informatics tools developed for use during mass casualty incidents. CONCLUSION: Utilizing a functional exercise to test new mass casualty management technology and informatics tools involves a painstaking and complex planning process; however, it does allow researchers to address issues inherent in studying informatics tools for mas casualty incidents.
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