Nationally-Led Simulation to Test Hospital Systems
Simulation for Outbreak Preparedness—Lionel HW Lum et al 332 Editorial Pandemic Preparedness: Nationally-Led Simulation to Test Hospital Systems 1 2 3 2 Lionel HW Lum, MBBS, MRCP (UK), Hishamuddin Badaruddin, BMBS, MPH, FAMS, Sharon Salmon, BN, MPH, PhD, Jeffery Cutter, MBBS, 4 1,5 MMed (PH), FAMS, Aymeric YT Lim, MBBS, FRCS (Glasgow), FAMS, Dale Fisher, MBBS, FRACP, DTM&H Introduction of requirements for hospital preparation, encompassing in- Cities that receive large numbers of international travellers house evaluations using “table-top” (theoretical) exercises, are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of emerging quality and process improvement “walkabouts”, and infectious disease with pandemic potential.1 Secondary department-specific simulation exercises. transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) occurred when To mitigate the threat posed by EVD, the Ministry of Health travellers from West Africa infected healthcare workers (MOH), Singapore undertook a series of “walkabouts” to in Europe and the United States in 2014.2,3 Middle East assess institutional readiness in most major public and respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has also caused private hospitals across the country during the latter part of secondary outbreaks due to travel by infected individuals. 2014. To further test and facilitate enhancement of systems, While most of these distant outbreaks of MERS have to MOH subsequently undertook full scale national simulation date been quickly confined, South Korea experienced 185 exercises collectively called Exercise Sparrowhawk. laboratory-confirmed cases involving 5 generations of 4 transmission over 6 weeks. In Singapore, the Nipah virus National Simulation Exercise in 1998 to 1999, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus in 2003 and influenza A/H1N1 in 20095 not Prior to the exercises, hospitals were required to submit only had a major impact on the health of its population a copy of their hospital preparedness standard operating and notably its healthcare workers, but also more broadly, procedures to MOH for review.
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