VolunteerGet--a novel information system for engaging society in volunteering for emergency care

Vivek Varadarajan; Aura Ganz

doi:10.1109/IEMBS.2008.4649260

VolunteerGet--a novel information system for engaging society in volunteering for emergency care

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2008:2008:747-50. doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2008.4649260.

Authors

Vivek Varadarajan¹, Aura Ganz

Affiliation

¹ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01002, USA. vvaradar@engin.umass.edu

PMID: 19162763
DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2008.4649260

Abstract

This work presents VolunteerGet, a novel information system for engaging society in volunteering for emergency situations. We will use the social networking and location services infrastructure as a means of 1) registering volunteers and other users, 2) spreading the word on volunteering opportunities and increasing the volunteer database, 3) matching the users and volunteers at time and location of need. Such a system has the potential to promote volunteering as a social phenomenon and eventually reduce suffering and mortality.

MeSH terms

Databases, Factual
Emergency Medical Services / methods
Emergency Medical Services / organization & administration*
Hospital Volunteers / organization & administration*
Information Dissemination / methods*
Internet*
Marketing of Health Services / organization & administration*
Social Marketing*
Social Support*
User-Computer Interface