Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111462

Anne B. Keith, RN, DrPH, C-PNP, College of Nursing, University of Southern Maine, 96 Falmouth St, PO box 9300, Portland, ME 04104, 207-780-4138, akeith@usm.maine.edu, Paul Kuehnert, MS, RN, Executive Director, Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, State of Maine, State House Station 11, 286 Water St., 8th Floor, Augusta, ME 04333-0011, and Judith Lloyd Storfjell, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S. Damen (MC 802), Room 914, Chicago, IL 60612-7350.

The influenza vaccine shortage in fall 2004 provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate the functioning of Maine's statewide public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) program. Until this event, evaluation efforts were focused on assessing the appropriateness of emergency preparedness through the structure established (plans, resources) and the on-going processes (operations, workforce preparation, and systems).

The sudden loss of half the anticipated influenza vaccine triggered the activation of PHEP systems and provided to the evaluation team already in place and the stakeholders most involved an opportunity to assess the usefulness and weaknesses of the State's preparedness systems. The evaluation was conducted in two phases while the event was still in progress: 1) planning and communications; and 2) preparedness for a potential influenza outbreak (early identification and training).

Maine's comprehensive BT evaluation indicators already in use were applied to the vaccine shortage event. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups with key informants, review of documents, and surveys. Analysis focused on understanding the impact of the risk communication processes on providers, the acceptability of planning processes used to help distribute the vaccine that came into the state through different purchasers, the access by the public to the state web site and phone bank, the capacity to track the emergence of influenza, and the participation in coordination of response efforts at all levels (state, regional, local).

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to
• 1. Discuss methods of using an actual event to evaluate collaborative PHEP preparedness across a region or state
• 2. Describe an approach to evaluate of risk communication initiatives on diverse healthcare entities and the general public
• 3. Discuss a systematic process to evaluate PHEP structure, process and outcomes across multiple entities and geographical areas

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation