Preparing military installations for pandemic influenza through tabletop exercises
Title | Preparing military installations for pandemic influenza through tabletop exercises |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2010 |
Authors | Otto, JL, Lipnick, RJ, Sanchez, JL, DeFraites, RF, Barnett, DJ |
Journal | Military medicine |
Volume | 175 |
Issue | 1 |
Pagination | 7 - 13 |
Date Published | 2010 |
ISBN Number | 0026-4075; 0026-4075 |
Keywords | Disaster Planning/methods, Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control, Government Agencies, Health Plan Implementation/methods, Humans, Influenza, Human/prevention & control, Military Medicine |
Abstract | Effective Department of Defense (DoD) response to pandemic influenza requires robust and well-exercised plans at the installation level. This article describes proceedings and key findings from a half-day "train-the-trainer" pandemic influenza tabletop exercise for Tri-Service installation public health emergency officers (PHEOs) at the August 2008 Force Health Protection conference. Exercise participants were expected to facilitate the execution of a pandemic influenza exercise at their respective installations within 6 months of attendance. On a 6-month follow-up survey (N= 50), 68% indicated their installations had since created a new pandemic influenza plan or revised an existing one, whereas 44% indicated that their installation had since conducted a pandemic influenza exercise. Chief reported barriers to conducting installation-level pandemic influenza exercises included competing priorities, followed by time, personnel, and budget limitations. Relevant policy implications for installation-level pandemic influenza readiness include access to higher level plans, strategic utilization of assets to optimize surge capacity, and cross-training of personnel. |
Notes | JID: 2984771R; ppublish |
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