Open AccessThe Effectiveness of Table-Top Exercises in Improving Pandemic Crisis Preparedness
Author(s) -
Michael I. Thornton,
Alba Iannotti,
R Quaranta,
Colomba Russo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of safety and security engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.202
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2041-904X
pISSN - 2041-9031
DOI - 10.18280/ijsse.110420
Subject(s) - preparedness , pandemic , table (database) , scale (ratio) , medical emergency , covid-19 , operations management , public relations , medicine , business , engineering , computer science , political science , disease , geography , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , data mining , cartography
The World Health Organization carried out a global survey in 2018 to ascertain the level of preparedness for pandemic influenza. It was discovered that simulation exercises to test national pandemic influenza preparedness plans were carried out in the previous 5 years, by 42 out of the 104 countries that completed the survey. The table-top exercise (TTX) being the preferred format, with 86% of the countries using them. Although no table-top exercise can convey a realistic picture of a pandemic, they can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures, clarify roles and responsibilities, and identify resource gaps in an operational environment. However, table-top exercises are only effective if they are properly designed, carefully conducted, fully evaluated, and most importantly, the results and recommendations identified are actually implemented. TTXs used as part of preparedness for pandemics are not cost free, a failure to implement the lessons learned from them can have both human and economic consequences. To understand the value of TTXs, a sample of national and large scale TTXs are examined in an effort to identify the effectiveness of table-top exercises, as a part of improving pandemic crisis preparedness.