ADEPT - Automated Disaster and Emergency Planning Tool: Innovative use of a relational database to facilitate public health emergency operations planning

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has developed ADEPT, a standardized public health planning process and methodology to help address this need. This capabilities/objectives-based planning process and methodology has been used to develop public health and hospital emergency operations plans in multiple nations/countries in the Pacific, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Asia, Africa, as well as the United States. This capabilities/objectives-based planning process and methodology is an innovative, software-based process for writing public health emergency operations plans. This planning process and methodology applies evidence-based objectives to the process of disaster planning so that subsequent responses can be measured for effectiveness and validated according to the emergency operations plan itself. This planning process and methodology integrates all-hazards planning for emergencies that may involve a wide range of hazards: natural, technological, infectious disease, including pandemic influenza, and terrorism. This planning process and methodology utilizes the internationally accepted SPHERE standards (www.sphere.org) for disaster response as well as nationally accepted models like the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and National Response Framework (NRF), Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Target Capabilities Lists (TCLs). This planning process and methodology then guides the user in assigning tasks and performance indicators and developing standard operating procedures for each disaster function by focusing on capabilities, strategic objectives, operational objectives, and activities. Emergency operations plans created using this planning process and methodology will give the field user an instrument that is integrated into a multi-organizational response; define duties and job descriptions for key response staff; and provide a platform for prioritized rapid decision making in the initial phase of an emergency operation. This planning process and methodology is designed for national health agency applications and has broader applications in both the domestic and foreign setting to include complex emergencies, comprehensive national response planning, and response to pandemic influenza.

Conclusion: This capabilities/objectives-based planning process and methodology has proven to be a useful tool and process for assisting public health emergency planners in numerous nations/countries to develop evidence-based emergency operations plans more effectively and efficiently. This planning process and methodology has been applied successfully in several cultures.

Recommendation: Public health emergency planners should consider utilizing this planning process and methodology to assist development and maintenance of their own customized emergency operations plans for prevention and control of public health emergency events.