title: Creating an online "promising practices" clearinghouse for pandemic influenza.
abstract: This article describes efforts to create, share, and sustain an online clearinghouse of expert-reviewed "promising practices" in pandemic influenza preparedness from September 2006 to December 2008. This project involved six activities: (1) determining focus areas, (2) defining a promising practice, (3) collecting practices, (4) establishing an expert-review process for accepting practices, (5) disseminating the practices, and (6) evaluating the project. By December 31, 2008, materials and descriptions for 181 expert-reviewed practices had been posted in a public online database. Practices were available in four areas: models for care, communication, mitigation, and at-risk groups. The database has been used by international agencies and a variety of U.S. organizations. The challenges and constraints facing the U.S. public health system underscore the need to maximize resources. We believe that the Promising Practices Project demonstrates a useful approach in pandemic preparedness and response and may serve as a valuable model for other areas of public health.
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA. lafrance@umn.edu
authors.forename: Amy Becker
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: LaFrance
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vestin
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Collison
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DeBoer
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007255:Information Services; D020407:Internet; D017712:Peer Review, Research; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015980:Public Health Practice; D014481:United States