4unit_4_416.pptxPANDEMIC INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS
Influenza pandemic has a worldwide effect on mortality and morbidity. It therefore requires that there is a sustained response and effective plan. The plan in place is able to contain the possible effects of Influenza pandemic. It is important to note that, an Influenza pandemic can easily overwhelm the entire healthcare system very quickly.
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan
The first element is on preparation of potential Influenza emergency, the surveillance, case treatment and investigation, public health preventive measures, maintenance of essential services, research and evaluation and finally, implementation process and revision of the plan (Organization).
The aforementioned plan within the county is effectively highlighted and active. In particular, there are set resources that in case of any potential pandemic, there are enough funds to ensure that the county is well prepared to mitigate the potential effects of Influenza pandemic. Moreover, in terms of surveillance, all strategic concepts of carrying out surveillance are active. In particularly, the inter-pandemic surveillance, enhanced surveillance and the actual pandemic surveillance are all active processes in place that are functioning effectively.
Status of the Plan
Preparation cycle involve the aforementioned seven processes from preparation process of potential emergency to assessment and review of the plan cycle. It is a looping process that should follow effectively to ensure that there are proper mitigates processes in case of an Influenza pandemic. Moreover, it is important to note that every step of the process is important, however, the surveillance step is particularly critical as it helps define how fast all other processes should move. In a situation where there is late surveillance, there is a risk that all other processes may come in late to help mitigate the pandemic. Finally, assessment process is important to help define potential loopholes in the system. If the plan has any potential loophole, then it is possible to identify through the self-assessment process of the planning cycle.
Preparedness of the Cycle
Design Model
Surveillance
Case treatment and investigation
Public health preventive measures
Implementation process and revision
Preparation of potential Influenza emergency
Maintenance of essential services
Research and evaluation
Preparation for an emergency is the first step that entails a number of key aspects. Firstly, setting up a command or control center is an important first step. It ensures that there is effective organization for plan implementation. Moreover, risk assessment and communication dynamics. The aforementioned perspectives offer direction in centralized communication such that whatever information being relayed to the public and within the plan implementation process is harmonic. Finally, ethical and legal issues relating to the conduct and handling of potential cases during a pandemic are vital (Decker and Keith).
Stage 1
Involves surveillance process and response. There are three sets to the aforementioned stage, inter-pandemic, enhanced surveillance and pandemic surveillance stage. The stage is critical since it highlights the possible dangers, the presence of absence of an Influenza pandemic. It is more of a signaling system, or an alarm system that helps alert the imminent danger posed.
Stage 2
This stage involves investigation of potential cases and treatment processes. Three facets form the backbone for treatment and investigation. The first one is on diagnostic capacity where all test all carried out. Moreover, there is need for epidemiological studies since Influenza pandemic involves massive numbers of people. Finally, there is need for clinical management where diagnosed individuals are treated of the illness.
Stage 3
Taking preventive measures to curb spread of Influenza pandemic through the community is the other stage. Three aspects involve the public health measures, vaccine programs and antiviral preventive methods. Aforementioned measures are critical to ensure that on confirmation that there is an outbreak, proper and effective measures are set in place to ensure limited infection. Keeping in mind the precarious nature of Influenza pandemic it is therefore essential that proper actions be taken into account.
Stage 4
This stage involves maintenance of essential services in particular health services. There are about four perspectives to it, in terms of the personnel, supplies, facility and mortality handling. The advent of a pandemic implies that there are areas that require frequent checks. Therefore, it is imperative that health services are kept running before, during and after the epidemic. In addition, the recovery services account for a major factor to the success at this stage.
Stage 5
Research and evaluation is a critical stage in the plan. In particular, to ensure effective treatment, elimination of, and epidemic, it is important to establish the possible causes. Moreover, research ensures that there is effective establishment of key signs that complement the second phase of surveillance. It also ensures that proper understanding of the costive organisms and if there is any particular resistance to current medication plan.
Stage 6
Stage 7: Implementation, testing and revision of the plan is the final stage of the cycle. It accounts of implementation process of the preceding stages in the cycle. Moreover, there is constant testing of the plan to ensure effectiveness of the plan, and that are no particulate loopholes that may derail the plan. Ultimately, after the whole process and all stages are captured, there is need to revise and eliminate any form of errors or enhancing any ineffective stages.
Stage 7
The three facets of designing a valid plan include, the content, construct and criterion that bases on the validity theory. The content defines what the plan contains as a whole. Is the plan relevant to solve the intended problem or not? The content is critical since it organizes and defines what pieces of the puzzle fit where. Each piece of the plan is defined in the content stage.
Validity Facets
The construct stage involves testing if the defined plan is working, as it is suppose. It defines the degree that the purported claim of what the test measures actually do measure effectively and efficiently. In the current plan, it is important to test that each stage works effectively as defined in the content stage (Heumüller, Sebastian and Ulrike). Finally, the criterion defines the procedures to be followed in each specific stage. How effective are the set procedures? In technical language, this stage accounts for the standard operation procedures, which work to ensure every stage achieves its mandate effectively without any glitch.
Validity Facets
There are many stakeholders important in ensuring effective management of the plan. They include, administrative and security personnel, nurses, pharmacists and physicians, laboratory and technical aides, first responders and social workers, finally, mortuary personnel and maintenance. Aforementioned stakeholders all are important to ensuring that all the stages of the plan are implemented effectively. In particular, take the example of technical aides who involves researchers from the private sector. In most cases, the private sector is a critical part in helping implement the aforementioned plan effectively. They not only contain the expertise, but also the necessary capacity in complementing and adding to the plan especially in research (McKing).
Stakeholders
Taking into account that there are different stakeholders, each one has their own unique contribution to the plan. In every stage, there are various expertise required for effective implementation of the plan. The nurses for example play a crucial role in providing care needed to any patient of the epidemic. The mortuary personnel are an integral part of the plan, since only they can handle patients that succumb to the epidemic.
Final recommendations are on developing a counter plan in case of any unforeseen eventuality. The current plan works until that point all foreseen issues or problems have a solution. However, it does leave a gap in a situation the current medication are not effective to the patients. Keeping in mind the idea of drug resistance in various organisms it is important that there is a backup plan to solve such unforeseen eventuality.
Recommendations
Moreover, setting up full operational institutions as part of the county team that works as proactive institutions. It implies that the plan in place becomes a valid standard operation procedure due for review. Therefore, such a department institution within the county would highly validate the plan, for a long-term process and not simply in the short term.
Recommendations
Decker, K. C and Holtermann Keith. ""The role for exercises in senior policy pandemic influenza preparedness."." Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management 6.1 (2009): 32. Journal .
Heumüller, Erich, Richter Sebastian and Lechner Ulrike. "Training, Test and Experimentation: A classification of command post exercises." Proceedings of the 10 th international ISCRAM Conference. Baden-Baden., 2013. Book .
McKing, A. Framework for improving cross-sector coordination for emergency preparedness and response: action steps for public health, law enforce., the judiciary and corrections. DIANE Publishing, 2010. Book .
Organization, World Health. "WHO checklist for influenza pandemic preparedness planning." World Health Organization (2005): 4-39. Document .
OSHA. "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance for Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Employers." Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2007): 3328-05. Document .
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