Agile Development of Innovative, Interactive Hazard Recognition and Mitigation Tools/Learning E-platforms for Workers Involved in Disaster Rescue and Recovery

The goal of this study is to assess Pocket Ark (PA), which is a mobile e-learning and assessment platform for use by flood remediation workers in the field. The purpose of the mobile application is to provide workers with real-time data to assist with making safe decisions during the planning phase in the flooded zone and provide a communications platform to improve logistics between operational bases and workers during and after the deployment to the flooded zone. Pocket Ark incorporates an action planner, scenario-based PPE training content, assessments (both knowledge and health-risk), personal security protection, and resource location features for workers involved in disaster rescue and recovery. Individual construction worker's readiness to be safely deployed to flooded and post-flood environments will be assessed.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Work-related Illness
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Pocket Ark

Detailed Description

Enrolled participants will be asked to complete: 1) basic demographic and occupational health information; 2) a simulated wage contract with an employer; 3) a pre-behavioral capability test; and 4) a post flood disaster scenario, which is based on an actual flooding event that has occurred. Participants will be asked questions regarding their response to different challenges he/she might encounter in a post flood construction event and then the correct answer will be provided for learning. Information will be largely graphical, and workers can take the module over the course of several days. Educational material will be based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute and the Center for Construction Research and Training disaster preparedness programs.

Finally, participants will complete: 5) a post behavioral capability test and 6) a brief medical questionnaire of the participant's medical history. Based on the results of the educational testing and the completed medical response, a Readiness Index will be calculated for the participant and relayed to both the participant and the worker advocacy organization. This readiness index will be derived from achieving a passing score of 70% of behavioral capability on the educational and scenario modules, successful completion of the health screening questionnaire, and successful completion of a wage contract.

A brief acceptability assessment and exit interview survey will be completed by participants, and it will assess the program's usefulness, evaluate for technical glitches encountered, request suggestions for future implementation, and derive ratings on PA perceived impact.

Additionally, a worker advocacy staff member who normally conducts disaster preparedness training and a member of the worker advocacy program upper management will be asked to go through the training and answer questions regarding program usability from their perspective.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 64
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: William B Perkison, MD; Phone Number: 713-500-9468; Email: William.B.Perkison@uth.tmc.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Geethika Yalavarthy, MBBS; Phone Number: 713-500-9000; Email: geethika.yalavarthy@uth.tmc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
      • Contact: William B Perkison, MD; Phone Number: 713-500-9468; Email: William.B.Perkison@uth.tmc.edu
      • Contact: Geethika Yalavarthy, MBBS; Phone Number: 713-500-9000; Email: geethika.yalavarthy@uth.tmc.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Reconstruction workers
• Affiliated members of the worker advocacy organization
• Professional experience working in the construction industry
• Have a 3- year or newer version cell phone capable of accessing the internet
• Has not completed a Resilience Force training in the last 2 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• inability to complete requested activities
• lack of cell phone connectivity

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Pocket Ark

Behavioral: Pocket Ark; Pocket Ark (PA) is a mobile e-learning and assessment platform for use by flood remediation workers in the field. The purpose of this mobile application is to provide workers with real-time data to assist with making safe decisions during the planning phase in the flooded zone and provide a communications platform to improve logistics between operational bases and workers during and after the deployment to the flooded zone. Pocket Ark incorporates an action planner, scenario-based PPE training content, assessments (both knowledge and health-risk), personal security protection, and resource location features for workers involved in disaster rescue and recovery. Individual construction worker's readiness to be safely deployed to flooded and post-flood environments will be assessed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of participants who have increased behavioral capability as assessed by a survey	A survey will be used to assess the worker's procedural knowledge on the steps and skills to negotiate a contract and meet criteria for operational readiness for post-flood clean-up.	baseline, after completion of Pocket Ark education (within 2 hours of baseline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Usability of the Pocket Ark mobile application as assessed by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)	Total score on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) ranges from 5 to 25, with a lower the score indicating greater usability.	after completion of Pocket Ark education (within 2 hours of baseline)
Usability of the Pocket Ark mobile application as assessed by the System Usability Scale (SUS)	Total score on the System Usability Scale (SUS) ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating greater usability.	after completion of Pocket Ark education (within 2 hours of baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Collaborators: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: William B Perkison, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 11, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 12, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 12, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 11, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 15, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 11, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: HSC-SPH-23-0741; R44ES030580 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No