Show Me: A Communication Tool for Family Assistance Centers

Background: 

During a Mass Fatality Incident (MFI), families need a place to obtain information about disaster victims. To respond to this need, a Family Assistance Center (FAC) is set up as a key component of mass fatality management. It helps families learn about their missing or deceased loved ones in the event of a disaster. Responding to their needs requires effective communication and support.

Program background: 

The CommunicateHealth team is working with the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to design and develop a mobile app to help emergency personnel communicate with individuals with communication challenges – including limited English proficiency – that arrive an FAC. We have designed FAC-specific icons that range from identifying tattoos and birthmarks to collecting DNA samples to viewing missing person boards. We have also developed short statements with translations in 10 languages, to help introduce individuals to what happens at an FAC.  The app is being designed and developed for both iOS (Apple) and Android smartphone and tablet devices.

Evaluation Methods and Results: 

To develop the FAC app, we are undertaking a user-centered design (UCD) approach — a method for developing materials that involves end-users as co-creators in every step of the design process. The UCD process for the FAC app, thus far, has included:

• 9 in-depth interviews with public health professionals
• 9 icon testing sessions with people with limited or no English proficiency, people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and one cognitively delayed person
• 5 app usability testing sessions using clickable wireframes with public health professionals

User research findings thus far demonstrate the need for communication support tools for FAC staff and volunteers that need to explain how an FAC works. User research findings also indicate that the icons are identifiable by individuals with communication challenges, given appropriate context to a disaster situation. 

Conclusions:  The FAC app is in the final stages of development. While we have not been able to identify the final outcomes, we have data about the success of the previous emergency tools we’ve developed. Over 1,300 copies of the first iteration, a paper-based tool for shelters, were distributed in the first 3 months of printing. Based on the overwhelming response to the paper tool and the first emergency preparedness app, we are confident that the FAC app will be a useful tool for facilitating communication during a MFI.  Once the FAC app is complete, this tool will support implementation of consistent communication strategies for FAC staff. The icons included in the app will also be able to help communicate with all distressed family members and friends looking for loved ones, since the stress of disaster situations can impair communication capabilities for anyone.

Implications for research and/or practice:  The widespread adoption of this mobile app has huge implications. It will not only help with communication at an FAC, but also serve as a foundational tool to inform the development of support communication tools in times of duress.