FW-HTF-P: Mapping the Human-Technology Frontier to Improve Trauma Care: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Identify Opportunities, Challenges, and Risks

Trauma-related injuries are the leading cause of death in Americans under the age of 45. While human costs are overwhelming, the economic costs are also alarming. In 2005, fatal unintentional injuries resulted in $1.3 billion in medical costs and $82.9 billion in lost work costs, including cost of goods and services not produced and provided by the individual for the duration of their working life.

Furthermore, diagnostic errors and delays in treatment are the most common errors reported in trauma resuscitations, accounting for almost 75% of preventable deaths. Using a conservative estimate of $10,000 per error-related adverse event, the cost estimate is $418 million annually. The trauma workforce is sizable: In 2017 there were 42,348 practicing emergency medicine physicians, and, in 2019, an estimated 167,375 practicing emergency medicine nurses, 78 percent of which are women.

Unfortunately, however, 38 percent of the nurses and approximately 60 percent of the physicians in emergency medicine reported some symptoms of burnout. This project will draw from a broad range of expertise and perspectives in emergency medicine, sociology, communication studies, interior design, computer and information science and engineering, and industrial and systems engineering to investigate the clinical practice of trauma care.

This planning grant will develop transdisciplinary and convergent research capacity, research infrastructure, and foundational work to build a comprehensive research agenda for supporting and improving patient safety and prevent burnout syndrome in trauma care. The goal is to design clinically informed intelligent technological interventions for optimal decision-making in trauma care and to facilitate effective team training for diagnostic and treatment processes in trauma resuscitations.

The primary research objectives are two-fold. First, researchers will develop a holistic conceptual framework for, and a theoretical understanding of, diagnostic and treatment care planning to model and analyze trauma care. Second, the project will develop an evidence-based approach for challenge, opportunity, and risk assessment to evaluate and justify pervasive technological interventions for trauma care.

The research team will conduct a series of observations, interviews, focus group studies, and organize charrette workshops to collect data. Researchers will also use content analysis, mapping analysis, statistical methods and machine learning to analyze and mine data, and utilize grounded theory to guide the identification, modeling, and analysis of the salient features of the underlying human-techno-physical system.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.