Information intermediaries for emergency preparedness and response: A case study from public health

Information intermediaries play a critical role in information supply chains for emergency preparedness. Yet, their responsibilities have not been adequately examined in the literature. Using a state public health department as an exemplar, we explore the roles and challenges experienced by one intermediary organization as it faced the unique challenges of deploying a public health emergency preparedness system. We further discuss the influence of stakeholder participation and commitment, inter-organizational collaboration, issues related to organizational structure and resources, and the challenges specific to developing and institutionalizing an IT system for emergency preparedness. Based on the public health case, a set of propositions focused on trust, coordination, information sharing and incentive alignment are developed to illustrate the role of information intermediaries.