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Developing National Standards for Public Health Emergency Preparedness With a Limited Evidence Base

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2013

Christopher Nelson ,
Ed Chan ,
Anita Chandra ,
Paul Sorensen ,
Henry H. Willis ,
Stephanie Dulin  and
Kristin Leuschner
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Abstract

Objective: The paucity of evidence and wide variation among communities creates challenges for developing congressionally mandated national performance standards for public health preparedness. Using countermeasure dispensing as an example, we present an approach for developing standards that balances national uniformity and local flexibility, consistent with the quality of evidence available.

Methods: We used multiple methods, including a survey of community practices, mathematical modeling, and expert panel discussion.

Results: The article presents recommended dispensing standards, along with a general framework that can be used to analyze tradeoffs involved in developing other preparedness standards.

Conclusions: Standards can be developed using existing evidence, but would be helped immensely by a stronger evidence base.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:285-290)

Keywords

performance standardscountermeasure dispensingStrategic National Stockpilepublic health preparednessemergenciescommunity disaster responsedrug therapyevidence-based practicetask performance and analysis
Type
Original Article
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 285 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2010

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