Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

In the Midst of the Crisis: Mobile Phones, Social Media and Apps to Aid Survival

Dr. Julie WillemsDepartment of Rural and Indigenous Health, Monash University Allied Health Symposium 2013

Presentation dedication…to all those who have been personally affected by crises

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Gippsland Allied Health Symposium 2013The symposium aims to provide an opportunity for delegates to share ideas, expertise and experiences around Innovative Practice: Sustainable Allied Health Workforce in order to:

• Promote flexibility, innovation and sustainability in regional allied health service delivery

• Promote rural and regional allied health research by professionals who practice in these areas and the presentation of their research findings

• Showcase best practice, what works and innovative solutions to issues that can be applied to address similar issues regionally and across disciplines

• Promote continuing education and professional development activities that are essential to support rural and regional allied health practice

• Promote networking, collaboration and inter-disciplinary learning across the Gippsland health workforce

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Section 1: Research background & definitions

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Research background:

i-Survive Project •http://isurviveproject.wikispaces.com/i -Survive+Project

• mobile technologies plus social networks for teaching and learning during crises (crisis informatics).

• Initial pilot research funded by an auDA Foundation 2011 research grant.

• Initially based at the University of New England, now at Monash University.

• Project outline reported in poster format at ASCILITE 2011 in Hobart.

• Quantitative findings written up & under review.

• The research journey continues ... Image Source: Julie Willems

Crises defined

In Australia, the term crisis is operationalised to incorporate the type of event, which are the result of human action, as well as naturally- occurring phenomena such as fires, storms, floods, and cyclones (DBCDE, 2011).

The term crisis also describes the scale of the event, spanning a ‘continuum of magnitude’ (Oliver, 2010).

Emergencies (localised impact) fall at the lower end of the continuum, disasters in the middle of the spectrum and catastrophes at the higher end of the spectrum.

The organisational, community, and societal impact of catastrophes extends far beyond its geographical locality (UNISDR, 2009).

Crises can occur anywhere, anytime, and can affect academia in minor or major ways, from the safety of academic and general staff, and students, through to disruptions to teaching and learning.

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Crisis informatics – ‘Front channel’

Definition of crisis informatics (Palen et al., 2010, p. 3): “a social system where information is disseminated within and between official and public [informal] channels and entities”.

Formal communications in times of crisis are known as ‘front channel’ communications - considered to be credible, official sources of information.

Two major types of ‘front channel’ communications: (a) official national agencies (police; emergency services

organisations), including SMS alerts, web updates, or information via apps; and

(b) official media outlets (in Australia, these include public broadcasting through the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s national and regional television and radio stations, plus the commercial television and radio channels).

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Crisis informatics – ‘Backchannel’

‘Backchannel’ communications are informal peer-to-peer communications.

Can imply “an unofficial, unwanted, illicit quality” (Griswold, 2004, p. 3), yet for many in the height of crises, backchannel communications may be the only source of up-to-the-minute local information.

New technologies provide the perfect conduit for backchannel communications and learning opportunities in crises through the affordances of mobile phones, ICT, and particularly through the increased use of social networks.

Sutton et al. (2008, p. 2): “With each new disaster, peer-to-peer communications through social media such as social networking sites, text and instant messaging applications, blogs, wikis and other web forums, are growing as a means for supporting additional, often critical and accurate, dissemination of information within the public sphere.”

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Section 2: The Gippsland earthquake 19th June 2012

Earthquakes as an exemplar of crises

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Image source: Geoscience Australia (20.07.2012)

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Earthquake epicentre was near the MUDRIH offices in Moe, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Image source: Geoscience Australia (19.06.2012)

Gippsland Earthquake: 19th June 2012

Main earthquake: 5.4 magnitude Richter scale

Front channel vs backchannel communications during earthquake (1)

Front channel:- key websites crashed under the high traffic at the time (such as Geoscience Australia due to the volume of traffic from concerned citizens wanting information (Levy & Partenza, 2012); and

- formal media channels lagged in providing key information to locals.

Telecommunications in general: - phone lines were jammed.

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Front channel vs backchannel communications during earthquake (2)

However…social media went into hyperdrive…

On Facebook, discussions took place immediately some with the anticipated “I felt the earth move under my feet”.

Tweets about the earthquake occurred within seconds of the earthquake commencing, and the event was the top trending on Twitter Australia-wide (Channel 10 Australia, 2012).

YouTube also provided a means for affected individuals to upload their videos.

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• Quick responders: backchannel communications via social media

• One image (left - photographer unknown) of the earthquake damage showing collapsed shelving and damaged stock was virally circulated on Facebook with the caption: “There’s something not quite right about Not Quite Right.”

• The image was then taken up by the broadcast media as a representative image of the earthquake.

“There’s something ‘not quite right’…”

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(viral image on Facebook)

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Section 3: Sustainable futures for learning in a climate of change

How do crises inform innovative practice for allied health ?

Considerations for sustainable practices in times of change.

Potential impacts such as…

Personal injuries (during and after);

Damage to infrastructure;

Continuance of learning or work flows;

Continuance of assessment;

Mobility; and…

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Image Source: Julie Willems

…stability of power (exemplar: Yallourn Open Cut coal mine and power station)…

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A potential solution: Mobile everything

The use of handheld mobile devices for learning during disasters and emergencies, may be a solution.

Mobile devices are portable and affordable telecommunications owned by most citizens.

“handheld technology can not only accompany the learner almost anywhere but also provide a platform that is rapidly evolving and always connected to data sources” (Educause, 2010, p. 3).

Mobile phones are not totally reliant on mains power supply.

Although they have their own battery limitations, the addition of solar chargers or portable wind-up chargers (which connects to the phone via USB) are an essential part of any potential emergency kit when mobile technology is a consideration.

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Mobile everything - apps

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Image Source: Monash University

Apps for personal safety include:

emergency location beacon app which utilises the global positioning system (GPS) of the smartphones, such as the ‘Rescue Me’ app (Edith Cowan University, 2012);

flashlight app which is handy when power fails as it often does in emergency and disaster events;

seismometer apps which utilise the in-built vibration sensors of the use of the smartphone; and

cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) apps which is useful for emergency first aid including cardiac compression rates through an audio beep for adults and children.

While this list is not conclusive, it serves to prompt proactive thought over what are the essentials during, and in the resolution period after, emergencies and disasters.

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Conclusion

Crises – whether due to natural or human events – can strike anywhere, anytime, and often without warning.

Crises are not simply events which are investigated by researchers…

They can affect allied health practices, delivery, and personnel.

Contingencies need to be created for operating in times of crisis.

Through m-learning, apps, and mobile social media educational resilience can be supported both during the crisis event and in the post-crisis timeframe.

This strategy will be the basis for further research.

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Acknowledgments & Questions

Dr. Julie Willems

Image Source: Cathy Beamish