Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T22:25:16.361Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Addressing Children’s Needs in Disasters: A Regional Pediatric Tabletop Exercise

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2018

Sarita Chung ,
Aaron H. Gardner ,
David J. Schonfeld ,
Jessica L. Franks ,
Marvin So ,
Eric J. Dziuban  and
Georgina Peacock
Sarita Chung*
Affiliation:
Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Aaron H. Gardner
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, Idaho Falls, Idaho
David J. Schonfeld
Affiliation:
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Jessica L. Franks
Affiliation:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability, Atlanta, Georgia
Marvin So
Affiliation:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability, Atlanta, Georgia
Eric J. Dziuban
Affiliation:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability, Atlanta, Georgia
Georgina Peacock
Affiliation:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Correspondence and reprint request to Sarita Chung, MD, FAAP, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Preparing and responding to the needs of children during public health emergencies continues to be challenging. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of a tabletop exercise in initiating pediatric preparedness strategies and assessing the impact of the exercise on participants’ understanding of and confidence in their roles during pediatric public health emergencies.

Methods

A tabletop exercise was developed to simulate a public health emergency scenario involving smallpox in a child, with subsequent spread to multiple states. During the exercise, participants discussed and developed communication, collaboration, and medical countermeasure strategies to enhance pediatric public health preparedness. Exercise evaluation was designed to assess participants’ knowledge gained and level of confidence surrounding pediatric public health emergencies.

Results

In total, 22 participants identified over 100 communication and collaboration strategies to promote pediatric public health preparedness during the exercise and found that the most beneficial aspect during the exercise was the partnership between pediatricians and public health officials. Participants’ knowledge and level of confidence surrounding a pediatric public health emergency increased after the exercise.

Conclusion

The tabletop exercise was effective in identifying strategies to improve pediatric public health preparedness as well as enhancing participants’ knowledge and confidence surrounding a potential pediatric public health emergency. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:582–586)

Keywords

childrenpublic healthemergency preparednesspediatric disaster responsedisaster exercise
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 12 , Issue 5 , October 2018 , pp. 582 - 586
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Chung, S, Fagbuyi, D, Lozon, MM, et al. Going viral: adapting to pediatric surge during the H1N1 pandemic. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2013;29(11):1159-1165. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PEC.0b013e3182a9e613.Google Scholar
2. Midgley, CM, Jackson, MA, Selvarangan, R, et al. Severe respiratory illness associated with enterovirus D68 – Missouri and Illinois, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(36):798-799. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25211545.Google Scholar
3. Cuevas, EL, Tong, VT, Rozo, N, et al. Preliminary report of microcephaly potentially associated with Zika virus infection during pregnancy—Colombia, January–November 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(49):1409-1413. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6549e1.Google Scholar
4. National Commission of Children and Disasters. 2010 Report to the President and Congress. https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nccd/20110426214356/http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr/nccdreport/index.html. Published 2010. Accessed January 6, 2017.Google Scholar
5. Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council, Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Ensuring the health of children in disasters. Pediatrics. 2015;136(5):e1407-e1417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3112.Google Scholar
6. Biddinger, PD, Savoia, E, Massin-Short, SB, et al. Public health emergency preparedness exercises: lessons learned. Public Health Rep. 2010;125:100-106. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21133066.Google Scholar
7. Hinton, CF, Griese, SE, Anderson, MR, et al. CDC grand rounds: addressing preparedness challenges for children in public health emergencies. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015;64(35):972-974. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6435a3.Google Scholar
8. US Congress. 14th Congress 2D session in the senate of the United States. H.R. 4509. Washington, DC: US Congress; 2014. https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr4509/BILLS-114hr4509rfs.pdf. Accessed January 6, 2017.Google Scholar
9. Savoia, E, Biddinger, PD, Fox, P, et al. Impact of tabletop exercises on participants’ knowledge of and confidence in legal authorities for infectious disease emergencies. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(2):104-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/DMP.0b013e3181a539bc.Google Scholar
10. Behar, S, Upperman, JS, Ramirez, M, Dorey, F, Nager, A. Training medical staff for pediatric disaster victims: a comparison of different teaching methods. Am J Disaster Med. 2008;3(4):189-199. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18822838.Google Scholar