Feasibility and Acceptability of a Model Disaster Teleconsultation System for Regional Disaster Health Response

Area of Science:

• Disaster medicine
• Health systems science
• Telehealth technology

Background:

• Mass casualty incidents require rapid triage and specialty consultation.
• Existing systems may lack robust support for no-notice events.
• The Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) and American Burn Association developed a model teleconsultation system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the acceptability and feasibility of a prototype regional disaster teleconsultation system.
• To evaluate physician perceptions of the system in simulated mass casualty incidents.
• To identify areas for improvement in technology and usability.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods simulation study was conducted.
• The Technology Acceptance Model framework guided the research.
• Physicians completed the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) and semistructured interviews.

Main Results:

• Physicians reported high usefulness and satisfaction with the model system.
• Lower scores were observed for interaction quality and reliability.
• High model acceptance was noted, alongside a desire for improved technology.

Conclusions:

• The prototype regional disaster teleconsultation system is acceptable and feasible.
• Enhancements in technology interface simplicity, reliability, and audiovisual quality are needed.
• Future work will focus on refining the technology and automating roles for field testing.