Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
of the operational environment (Endsley 1993). Level 3 SA combines what the
individual knows about the current situation with his or her mental model or
schemata of similar events to predict what might happen next.
4.2.1 Situation awareness in biosurveillance
As depicted in Figure 4.1, SA provides the foundation for subsequent deci-
sion making and performance in the operation of complex and dynamic
systems (Endsley 1995). SA encompasses not only the perception of critical
information within the environment but also an increased understanding of
the state such that future events can be predicted and proper action can be
taken. As such, SA is important throughout the entire process of outbreak
detection and management in biosurveillance. When an alert is triggered, the
first step for health professionals is to identify whether a real biological event
is present (Level 1 SA—perception). Here, what matters most is that health
professionals are provided with and are able to attend to the correct data and
information. However, performance at this stage can be influenced by indi-
vidual differences in training and experience (e.g., novice-expert differences)
as well as by the design of the systems available to support the detection
of potential threats; these factors can both directly and indirectly influence
what information is perceived. For example, experts, as compared to novices,
are likely to have developed a greater sensitivity for detecting or recognizing
patterns in specific types of data through training, extensive experience in
conducting biosurveillance, better-focused attention, or more effective use of
data representations (Garrett and Caldwell 2009). In turn, this greater sensi-
tivity may enable them to detect events with more accuracy and speed.
The second step in this process requires understanding patterns or
trends in the data as well as evaluating the availability of resources to meet
the challenge (Level 2 SA—comprehension). For instance, health profes-
sionals need to be able to determine whether a series of events, such as a
rise in hospital admissions, is due to the normal flu season or an indica-
tion of something potentially more serious. Finally, the third step involves
predicting the future trends and distribution of the outbreak and the abil-
ity to meet the demands of outbreak to decide how best to respond to the
alert (Level 3 SA—projection). This includes conducting “what-if” analyses
involving social, organizational, economical, environmental, and politi-
cal trends. For example, if the outbreak involves a highly infectious virus,
health professionals will need to notify other state, national, and possi-
bly international agencies to help contain the outbreak and prevent a large
scale epidemic. These last two stages (comprehension and projection) are
absolutely essential for effective outbreak management and response. As
illustrated in Figure 4.2, consideration of the three levels of SA is useful for
understanding the types of difficulties biosurveillance professionals face
while performing their tasks and also for determining how best to mitigate
these challenges.
