Morris J Glenn, Greenspan Allison, Howell Kelly, Gargano Lisa M, Mitchell Joanne, Jones Jeffrey L, Potter Morris, Isakov Alexander, Woods Christopher, Hughes James M
Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Biosecur Bioterror. 2012 Mar;10(1):89-97. doi: 10.1089/bsp.2011.0040. Epub 2012 Jan 27.
The use of tabletop exercises as a tool in emergency preparedness and response has proven to be an effective means of assessing readiness for unexpected events. Whereas most exercise developers target a population in a defined space (eg, state, county, metropolitan area, hospital), the Southeastern Center for Emerging Biologic Threats (SECEBT) conducted an innovative tabletop exercise involving an unusual foodborne outbreak pathogen, targeting public health agencies and academic institutions in 7 southeastern states. The exercise tested the ability of participants to respond to a simulated foodborne disease outbreak affecting the region. The attendees represented 4 federal agencies, 9 state agencies, 6 universities, 1 nonprofit organization, and 1 private corporation. The goals were to promote collaborative relationships among the players, identify gaps in plans and policies, and identify the unique contributions of each organization-and notably academic institutions-to outbreak recognition, investigation, and control. Participants discussed issues and roles related to outbreak detection and management, risk communication, and coordination of policies and responsibilities before, during, and after an emergency, with emphasis on assets of universities that could be mobilized during an outbreak response. The exercise generated several lessons and recommendations identified by participants and evaluators. Key recommendations included a need to establish trigger points and protocols for information sharing and alerts among public health, academic, and law enforcement; to establish relationships with local, state, and federal stakeholders to facilitate communications during an emergency; and to catalogue and leverage strengths, assets, and priorities of academic institutions to add value to outbreak responses.
将桌面演练作为应急准备和响应的一种工具已被证明是评估应对突发事件准备情况的有效手段。大多数演练开发者针对的是特定空间内的人群（如州、县、大都市地区、医院），而东南新兴生物威胁中心（SECEBT）开展了一项创新的桌面演练，涉及一种不常见的食源性疾病暴发病原体，目标是东南部7个州的公共卫生机构和学术机构。此次演练测试了参与者应对影响该地区的模拟食源性疾病暴发的能力。与会者代表了4个联邦机构、9个州机构、6所大学、1个非营利组织和1家私人公司。目标是促进参与者之间的合作关系，找出计划和政策中的差距，确定每个组织——尤其是学术机构——在疫情识别、调查和控制方面的独特贡献。参与者讨论了与疫情检测和管理、风险沟通以及紧急情况发生前、期间和之后政策与责任协调相关的问题和角色，重点是疫情应对期间可调动的大学资源。此次演练产生了参与者和评估者确定的若干经验教训和建议。关键建议包括需要为公共卫生、学术和执法部门之间的信息共享和警报建立触发点和协议；与地方、州和联邦利益相关者建立关系，以便在紧急情况下促进沟通；以及梳理和利用学术机构的优势、资源和优先事项，为疫情应对增添价值。
