Use of Slack for COVID-19 disaster response in Hyogo Prefecture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0716Keywords:
COVID-19, disaster response, enterprise social network, future disaster response, information sharingAbstract
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused great disruptions in education and healthcare systems. However, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Hyogo Prefecture did not have a centralized system for sharing information among hospitals, public healthcare centers, the government, fire departments, and medical associations. In March 2021, we used Slack® an enterprise social network, to invite people from hospitals, healthcare centers, the government, fire departments, and medical associations to join our workspace. This study was undertaken to verify whether the use of Slack can improve information sharing during a disaster.
Methods: A questionnaire on whether information-sharing tools such as Slack are useful for disaster response in Hyogo Prefecture, including for COVID-19, was administered using a Google Form.
Results: Of the 19 people who responded to the questionnaire, 15 (78.9 percent) were first-time users of Slack and 18 (94.7 percent) found it easy to use. All 19 participants stated that Slack proved useful in providing pertinent information regarding preventive measures for the control of COVID-19, and they believed that it would be a helpful tool if such disasters were to occur in the future. Regarding the launch time of Slack, 11 respondents (57.9 percent) answered that it was launched at the appropriate time, while five respondents (26.3 percent) answered that it was launched too late.
Conclusions: The participants thought that Slack was effective for accelerating their communication. The use of Slack could also improve future disaster response communications.
References
Johnson HA: Slack J Med Libr Assoc. 2018; 106(1): 148-151. 2. Slack Technologies Inc.: Slack. Available at www.slack.com. Accessed May 9, 2017.
Anderson KE: Getting acquainted with social networks and apps: Picking up the Slack in communication and collaboration. Libr Hi Tech News. 2016; 33(9): 6-9. DOI: 10.1108/LHTN-10-2016-0049.
Kwahk K, Park D: The effects of network sharing on knowledge-sharing activities and job performance in enterprise social media environments. Comput Human Behav. 2016; 55(pt B): 826-839. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.044.
Pillet J-C, Carillo KDA: Email-free collaboration: An exploratory study on the formation of new work habits among knowledge workers. Int J Inf Manage. 2016; 36(1): 113-125. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.11.001.
Bughin J, Chui M: Evolution of the networked enterprise: McKinsey global survey results. McKinsey Q. 2013; 29: 34-41.
Manjoo F: Slack, the office messaging app that may finally sink email. New York Times. March 15, 2015. Available at https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/technology/slack-the-office-messaging-appthat-may-finally-sink-email.html?_r=1. Accessed February 2, 2017.
Montrief T, Haas MRC, Alvarez A, et al.: Thinking outside the inbox: Use of Slack in clinical groups as a collaborative team communication platform. Available at https://search.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/pt/covidwho-632415. Accessed January 13, 2022.
Gofine M, Clark S: Integration of Slack, a cloud-based team collaboration application, into research coordination. J Innov Health Inform. 2017; 24(2): 936. DOI: 10.14236/jhi.v24i2.936.
Kates FR, Samuels SK, Case JB, et al.: Lessons learned from a pilot study implementing a team-based messaging application (Slack) to improve communication and teamwork in veterinary medical education. J Vet Med Educ. 2020; 47(1): 18-26. DOI: 10.3138/jvme.0717-091r2.
Lin J, Nephrol S: Picking up Slack: Collaboration tools to build a community and increase productivity in nephrology. Semin Nephrol. 2020; 40(3): 298-302. DOI: 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2020.04.009.
Vela K: Lack of communication with medical students. J Med Libr Assoc. 2018; 106(4): 504-507. DOI: 10.5195/jmla.2018.482.
Kotter JP: Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harv Bus Rev. 1995; March-April: 59-67.
Yarris LM, Chan TM, Gottlieb M, et al.: Finding your people in the digital age: Virtual communities of practice to promote education scholarship. J Grad Med Educ. 2019; 11: 1-5. DOI: 10.4300/JGME-D-18-01093.1.
Ting DK, Thoma B, Luckett-Gatopoulos S, et al.: CanadiEM: Accessing a virtual community of practice to create a Canadian National Medical Education Institution. AEM Educ Train. 2019; 3: 86-91. DOI: 10.1002/aet2.10199.
Bourhis A, Dubé L, Jacob R: The success of virtual communities of practice: The leadership factor. Electronic J Knowl Manag. 2005; 3: 23-34.
What is Slack? Available at https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/115004071768-What-is-Slack. Accessed March 26, 2018.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright 2007-2023, Weston Medical Publishing, LLC and Journal of Emergency Management. All Rights Reserved
