Exercise Program for Pandemic Influenza (PART 2 of 3)

Session 2 - Managing Patient Surge/Patient Influx

This exercise scenario expands on the foundation of Session 1 (General Overview) and focuses on the acute expansion of clinical and public health services.   This exercise is ideal for specific healthcare facilities that are interested in improving their patient influx plans.   Participants must deal with staffing shortages, limitation related to non-essential services, patient transfer, and ethical issues related to patient care.   The scenario provides an opportunity for collective discussion making related to alternate care facilities and mass facility management.   

Session 3- Crisis Communications in Epidemics

In the early phase of an influenza pandemic, effective communications with the public may be the one of the most important aspects of the emergency response.   From the public health perspective, such communications range from effective participation in a Joint Information Center (JIC) environment to the crafting of messages that target the public.   The prioritization of information to be released coupled with an effective delivery of critical messages will be critical to reassuring the public that health authorities are dealing effectively with their problems.   This scenario is designed to challenge Public Information Officers (PIOs), leaders, and staff who must support emergency communications with the public.

Session 4-    SNS Dissemination and Mass Vaccination

At the time of crisis, the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) must be activated and delivered to an affected site to benefit the stricken population.   Careful dialogues must occur to ensure coordination between federal, state, and local responders.   In addition, planning for the distribution of its contents and the tracking of patients are also important considerations.   This exercise is designed to assess the level of preparedness by an organization to request, received, distribute, and manage the contents of the SNS. This exercise is useful in advance of a full functional field exercise to simulate the management of an SNS delivery.

Session 5-    Administrative Issues Related to Preparedness and Response

Public health department and health care facility administration personnel will be severally challenged during an influenza pandemic.   Workplace issues will range from dealing with acute personnel shortages to maintaining physical and financial security for the institution.    Leadership and management skills must be enhanced to deal with such emergency situations.    This exercise provides realistic problems for health care administrators to solve during such a catastrophic health emergency.    This exercise is a good prelude to institutional planning or a periodic review of readiness.   Public health professionals, elected officials, airport authorities, law enforcement officers, health care professionals and other state officials can participate in the administrative challenges associated with a pandemic flu event.

Session 6 - Infection Control in Health Care Facilities

Effective infection control in health care facilities during influenza pandemic requires the full cooperation of the management as well as the patient care staff.    Critical activities include the effective use of barrier nursing techniques, the proper disposal of medical waste, enhance worker safety during invasive procedures and many other behavioral and environmental steps to rapidly upgrade an institution's infection control program at the time of crisis. Focus is placed on the protection of the public and the safety of those who are caring for the sick.

Session 7-    "Just for Nurses" Exercise

This pandemic influenza scenario is designed to focus specifically on the nursing staff involved in clinical care of patients.   This health care provides assessment of the protection of health care professional who will be critical to any response to an epidemic.   This exercise explores the status of individual and organizational planning for issues related to staffing, managing risks associated with caring for critically ill patients, and potential changes in nursing practice.   Nursing personnel will be challenged to address complex situations related to the care of patients in outpatient, inpatient, and selected critical care environments.   Continuing education credits can be arranged for nursing staff as part of this exercise.

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