Chloe - Researching Wireless Emergency alerts and early earning systems

Researching early earning systems and Wireless Emergency alerts

I decided to research the early warning systems (EWS) in the HSE which are uses in small hospitals to support the recognition and response to a deteriorating patient.   The EWS focus on:

• Categorization of patients’ SEVERITY of illness
• EARLY detection of patient deterioration
• Use of a structured COMMUNICATION tool (ISBAR)
•  Promote an early medical review, prompted by specific TRIGGER points
•  Use a definitive ESCALATION plan

These are the four early warning systems that are currently being used in Ireland:

 Early warning systems are in most instances, timely surveillance systems that collect information on epidemic-prone diseases in order to trigger prompt public health interventions. However, these systems rarely apply statistical methods to detect changes in trends, or sentinel events that would require intervention. In most cases they rely on an in-depth review done by epidemiologists of the data coming in, which is rarely done in a systematic way. WHO is strengthening the existing surveillance systems for infectious diseases developing early warning systems based on the new concepts and techniques.


I think in our alert app we will need to include an early warning system for any future pandemics in order to inform the public of what to do 





Another thing I researched is Wireless Emergency Alerts. During an emergency, alert and warning officials need to provide the public with life-saving information quickly. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), made available through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) infrastructure, are just one of the ways public safety officials can quickly and effectively alert and warn the public about serious emergencies.

WEAs:

• WEAs can be sent by state and local public safety officials, the National Weather Service, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the President of the United States
• WEAs can be issued for three alert categories – imminent threat, AMBER, and presidential
• WEAs look like text messages, but are designed to get your attention and alert you with a unique sound and vibration, both repeated twice
• WEAs are no more than 90 characters, and will include the type and time of the alert, any action you should take, as well as the agency issuing the alert
• WEAs are not affected by network congestion and will not disrupt texts, calls, or data sessions that are in progress
• Mobile users are not charged for receiving WEAs and there is no need to subscribe
• To ensure your device is WEA-capable, check with your service provider

This can be very useful in our app as we can send out alerts to inform people of any dangers to their health in the area and keep them updated on the current global emergency of the COVID-19 outbreak.
I have found out that people received no easy warning of the pandemic and believe this type of system can help prevent and future outbreaks.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/03/23/wireless-emergency-alerts-coronavirus/