title: Usefulness of simulated cases for assessing pandemic influenza preparedness plans.
abstract: To evaluate compliance with preparedness plans, actors simulating avian influenza attended various hospital emergency departments and public health centres during the last quarter of 2007. Most centres (89%) did not respond correctly. The useful information obtained was sent to the medical and administrative staff who were responsible for the preparedness plans. Awareness of these errors and their rectification can lead to improvements in the response to any case of influenza with pandemic potential and in the capacity to combat any other emergent or re-emergent community infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Generalitat of Catalonia, Directorate of Public Health, Barcelona, Spain. neus.cardenosa@gencat.cat
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cardeñosa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carratalà
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Ricarte
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jansà
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arnau
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Camps
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chanovas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trilla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000379:methods*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D058873:Pandemics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016544:Patient Simulation