The motivation for this research is to improve time-critical government services such as emergency medical services (EMS). The research objectives are three-fold: (1) Assess operational, organizational, and governance dimensions of inter-organizational information-sharing in EMS, (2) Examine end-to-end performance of EMS systems under both normal and extreme conditions, and (3) Analyze local and national policy implications for deploying new organizational models for encouraging collaborative IT efforts by EMS providers.
To accomplish this research objective, the research team will conduct a multi-method approach involving four discrete activities. First, a model outlining critical interfaces among EMS providers will be refined based on examination of the literature from organizational theory, information science, and associated disciplines (e.g. public administration) as well as from expert input (including an advisory panel). The result will be descriptions of operational, organizational, and governance dimensions and guidelines for case studies. The second activity will be to conduct case studies in California and Minnesota that will examine these dimensions with specific reference to the role of information technology (IT) in supporting end-to-end performance. The third activity will be to synthesize case study information through a combination of quantitative simulation analysis and qualitative analysis. A key result of this synthesis will be an institutional framework for deploying IT in support of collaborative EMS activities. Finally, a national workshop will be held in Washington DC to facilitate the discussion of policy implications and dissemination of research findings.
Intellectual Merit. While there is a burgeoning literature on digital government processes, to date, there has been minimal attention to the time-criticality dimension of information services. This research will develop a foundation for conceptual and empirically-based tools that can improve scientific understanding about how information and organizational systems interact to facilitate and/or thwart the delivery of emergency response services. The findings can also be used beyond the application of EMS and contribute to our understanding of how public services, broadly construed, perform during time-critical conditions, with particular attention to the interweaving influences of organizational and information technology dynamics. From a methodological perspective, the project will explore how both qualitative (e.g., case studies) and quantitative (e.g., simulation) methods can aid in understanding end-to-end performance of government services.
Broader Impacts. The research team intends to help EMS responders and agencies enhance service quality, reduce disability consequences, and save lives. The immediate area for impact is improving emergency response services to benefit a broad range of citizen needs; accident and fatalities statistics show that mobile emergency needs cut across race, income, and ethnic backgrounds. This multi-dimensional analysis is also aimed to help policy makers and program managers understand how technology enhancements to one dimension (i.e., inter-organizational cooperation) can have impacts on citizen-level performance.
