Supporting cross border emergency management decision-making

Volatile events such as public health disasters bring the prospect of rapid contagion and the threat of disastrous impacts for Europe. Vulnerabilities and cascading effects can result in significant injuries, illness and loss of life. Damage to health infrastructure, demand for medical attention, displacement and major outbreaks all place a strain on health services. Preparedness, response and recovery capabilities of health services will directly impact society's ability to 'bounce back' to become more resilient to such devastating shocks. This research in progress paper investigates the challenges facing multi-agency coordination, the characteristics of commercially available tools in addressing these issues and as a result current decision support in managing emergencies. The findings of the study provide a rich foundation for future research on the design of incident/emergency management decision support (DS) tools. This study then proposes the development of a tool-set which will enhance the protection of public health across borders and common grounds for interoperability by significantly advancing the existing knowledge base required for the development of next generation (user-centred) DS tools for better preparedness, rapid response and coordinated recovery in emergency situations.