Question Design

1. Study of risk factors regarding the application of remote public health monitors Nicholas Paulson, Spencer Garland Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia Example survey questions are boxed like this. Introduction The project is to assess the use of Health Monitors designed for disaster victims in shelters or quarantine situations. A multi-sensor Band on the wrist can remotely monitor heart rates, movement, body heat, and fluids to determine different stages of infections. The Bands can assist in monitoring an affected population to measure how quickly and if a disease is spreading. A supply of Bands could be preemptively provided to target populations such as military bases, factories, airlines, hotels, reservations, or high risk civic areas. The Band could also be made available for on-the-spot distribution by rescue personnel, to areas not previously supplied with bands. In the event of a natural disaster and/or terrorist attack, the band will assist by providing a means to monitor a confined population and minimize the spread of disease. However, success of the band depends on the public’s choice to utilize the monitor. • Sample Populations • Ideal samples will be drawn from facilities with large day-to-day populations, such as: • a military base • an airline • or a large factory • Survey questions will be tailored to fit the type of population i.e. managerial staff members and officers, general employees, or travelers/hotel guests. • These samples would be largely non-random; but, for example, if a large hotel allowed us to survey guests it would be possible to draw a semi-random population. THE BAND (None/Some/Most/All) of my employees would consider being required to wear this Band an infringement on their rights. Figure 1 • Question Design • Survey questions are primarily designed to assess the following three risk factors: • Risk of Civil Liberties - is defined as the individuals sacrifice of the right to free choice, privacy, and/or peace of mind. This is the most obvious risk factor because of the simple nature of the quarantining process and the Band which transmits personal data to a governing body. • Altruism - is defined as magnanimous concern for the welfare of those around the individual. This is a key area of risk because compliance with the quarantining process requires a concern for the people surrounding the individual, but overzealous groups may completely ignore the effects of other risk factors in their efforts force a certain outcome. • Resistance - is currently defined as all other factors contributing to non-use of the Health Monitors, be they economic or otherwise. • Survey questions will be designed to examine the individual’s behavior, attitude, and knowledge of regarding: • -current emergency procedures • -perceptions of colleagues, contemporaries, and employees • -the concept of a Health Monitor which wirelessly transmits data • Further questions will present emergency scenarios in an attempt to find out just how serious a situation would have to be in order for them to comply with a quarantine involving Health Monitors. Ideally, survey participants will be given a prototype Health Monitor to wear while completing the questionnaire; this will help them imagine themselves in an emergency situation, and enable them to answer questions about how the Band makes them feel more generally. What Risks? Should the need to quarantine a group of individuals arise there may be some people who would refuse to wear the Band. These same people may resist being quarantined to begin with… …Use of the Health Monitor is intended to ease the quarantining process both for organizers and victims. Such a Band may represent a more reliable and/or trustworthy emergency procedure thereby increasing willingness to participate… …However, there may also be some who perceive the Health Monitor as a violation of their privacy. Without any input from the user, the Band transmits physiological data about that user, automatically and wirelessly, to an unknown location. It is easy to see how this useful device could exacerbate an already anxious situation. Conclusions Based on the quantification of the results in relation to the risk matrix, strategies to improve cost benefits during community emergencies will be proposed. Strategies can include marketing and education to engage the community as the beneficiaries. It is reasonable to forcibly quarantine a group of people during a potentially deadly outbreak. T/F • Predicted Results • A potential risk matrix has been constructed (Figure 1), it identifies the primary factor(s) for five hypothetical sample sources: • Military Base- Due to the highly organizational nature of the military, it is predicted that altruism amongst the soldiers would not be a problem, nor would the decision to implement use of Health Monitors be resisted. However, should a “civilian” population be mingled in with military personnel, clashing perception of Civil Liberty may cause problems during an emergency; therefore Civil Liberties has been X’d. • Hotel- A quarantine situation at a large hotel would undoubtedly involve its guests. It would be difficult to gain consent from such a large and varied population, thereby infringing on the rights of many people; a non contiguous population would also be assumed to have a low level of concern for one another, making altruism a risk; also due to the vast differences in interests, purpose for staying at said hotel, and myriad other factors, general resistance against the authority to quarantine is expected. • Airline- Results here are predicted to somewhat similar to those from the Hotel, due to a similar nature of a varied population. However, it is acknowledged that travelers on an airplane would probably be more sympathetic to one another being in such close proximity; also an emergency on a plane or in an airport is generally regarded as being very serious in modern times. • Factory- A factory may be altruistically at risk due to economic focus of business, the cost of implementing Health Monitors may outweigh the benefits of the protection they provide. Conversely Civil Liberties would not be a factor because it would be easy to gain consent from employees who work in the factory every day. • A Quaker commune- A pillar of altruistic behavior, in fact this group may be at risk because of their altruistic nature. In their haste to ensure the safety of all inhabitants, this population may ignore the economic impact of implementing the Health Monitors. During a quarantine it would be impossible not to disrupt the rights of at least some individuals. T/F • Future Plans • To assess the application of the Health Monitor for community emergencies, a quantitative survey will target a non-random sample of populations, such as selected businesses, reservations and emergency response services. • The assessment survey will be available on the Working Together website for a random sample and for the target populations to access. • The assessment will survey decisions based on altruism, civil liberties and resistance as they relate to cost-benefits of the health monitor. • Based on the quantification of the results in relation to the risk matrix, strategies to improve cost benefits during community emergencies will be proposed. • Strategies can include marketing and education to engage the community as the beneficiaries. • Get the survey approved by IRB During a dire emergency, it is selfish to assert one's individual rights.  T/F • Materials and methods • A matrix of risk factors will be developed to assess decisions about health monitors being used during community emergencies. It is proposed that altruism, resistance and civil liberties are risk factors that can influence decisions about health monitors being used during community emergencies. • A quantitative survey can assess if these risk factors are relevant. Through a quantitative survey of target populations, the risk matrix about decision making can be verified. • After the risk matrix is verified, it can assist in protocols and strategies for implementing the health monitors for community protection in shelters or quarantine situations. It is (less/equally/more) of a violation of the rights of those who would be potentially exposed to disease than the rights of those being quarantined. Acknowledgements This project was funded through the CREATE Center of Excellence by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate, Office of University Programs. I would also like to thank you very much, Dr. Anne Garland, ARIES Student Coordinator, for direction and general motivation. Thank you to Applied Research in Environmental Sciences NonProfit, Inc. For further information: Please contact: Nicholas Paulson, NPaulso@gmail.com Spencer Garland, SpenceGarland@gmail.com Visit www.asafertomorrow.com. A rigid emergency procedure is more or less in violation of individual rights if it contains a Band assisted quarantining. T/F I would put my faith in authority during a crises which affects a whole community. T/F If I was sure I was not infected, I would attempt to avoid being quarantined if it was only "just to be on the safe side.” For the sake of my family (or community or life), I would be quarantined voluntarily. T/F I consider any device which automatically transmits data about my body to be intrusive. T/F