‘USE’ of information

1. ‘USE’ of information Dr. Qudsia Huda WHO EMRO

3. What do you do with INFORMATION?

4. Decision Direction Dissemination

5. Information for emergency management • Risk Management • Risk assessment • Risk reduction planning • Risk Communication • Policy development • Capacity development • Prioritizing

6. Information for emergency management • Operations Management • Needs assessment • Health surveillance • Operational Research • Capacity development • Prioritizing

7. Information for emergency management 3. Early Warning and Alerting System 4. Training Needs Analysis and development 5. Monitoring and Evaluation 6. Response Coordination • ` Mass casualty management • Logistics and supplies • Prioritization of Need

8. Information Flow

10. Information Dissemination • To whom? • In what form? • How frequently? • Public information; filtering/sifting information for release to general public • Feedback mechanism • Update

11. Objectives of Rapid Health Assessments • Collection objectives -identify managerial, coordination and organisational gaps, overlaps and problems -identify gaps and problems in meeting urgent medical needs -identify existing and potential public health needs -assess environmental risk factors -assess resource and logistics needs

12. Objectives of Rapid Health Assessments • Analysis objectives - set priorities for response / relief - set priorities for information dissemination and communication - identify resources needed to meet priorities – external and internal - identify additional information needs for the response and for planning recovery and reconstruction Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines

13. Categories of Information • The assessment involves the collection of three key categories of information: • Analysis of the damage to: • critical resources • critical infrastructure and fixtures • critical services • Analysis of the needs of the response agencies • immediate needs arising from the situation • future needs arising from damage/disruption to services/infrastructure • Analysis of the needs of the victims • immediate needs arising from the situation • future needs arising from damage/disruption to services/infrastructure Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines

14. Health Needs in an Emergency

15. Rapid Health Assessment Tasks • The first task is to assess function of all the health facilities in the area (hospitals, clinics, laboratories, warehouses, blood banks, administration): • Staff – dead, injured, missing, absent • Access – can staff/people reach the facility • Buildings – damages, safety, loss of electricity/ gas/water, loss of fuel (diesel) • Supplies and equipment damaged or lost, including vehicles

16. The next task is to assess needs arising from loss of function : • Temporary services needed? • Repairs needed? • Replacements needed (staff and materials)?

17. The next task is to assess urgent medical needs of the population: Overview of actual and potential causes of morbidity and mortality, and numbers of cases The final report will make recommendations on: Resource needs, Management and Organisational needs and Logistics and Communication needs

18. Use the Coordination Mechanism It is not necessary to go to the field to collect detailed information from other sectors At the daily coordination meetings, reports and assessments from other sectors are shared – these can be sent as ANNEXES to health sector reports The Emergency Reporting System should take over from assessments as soon as possible

19. Planning a Rapid Health Assessment • Set the assessment objectives, team skill needs and time frame • Collect the data: • reviewing existing information • inspecting the affected area • interviewing key people • carrying out a rapid survey • Analyse and interpret the findings • Issue orders and instructions • Disseminate the report and communicate the findings

20. Preparing for an Rapid Health Assessment • What information should I collect before going to the field? • What collection methods are appropriate given: • the specific context of the emergency, and • weather, security, time, logistics, technical, cultural constraints? • What will the main sources of information? Is an interpreter needed?

21. Preparing for an Rapid Health Assessment • What is the composition of the team and the role of each team member? • What are the security, logistics and communication needs of the team? • What equipment to take – maps, contact information, forms, specimen bottles, paper/pens, personal items

22. Pre-assessment Information • any existing national, provincial or district emergency profiles • local risk assessments • local capacity assessments • inventory of resources and deficits • maps • directory of local staff and experts (government and NGO) • lists of emergency materials and supplies • logistics arrangements for emergencies • standing orders and administrative guidelines

23. Rapid Health Assessment: Common Mistakes • No policy or guidelines on assessment • No standard collection formats • No training in assessment skills • Different sectors use different terms and methods • Data cannot be consolidated • Too much irrelevant or duplicate data collected • Too much time taken – accurate is better than precise • Those collecting the data don’t know how it will be used and don’t have opportunity to improve the assessment system

24. The All Hazards Approach and Assessment • 80% of what we do in emergencies is generic – we do it for every emergency – the all hazards approach • No need to wait for field information to do this • 15% is specific to the hazard • Much can be done before field data is available but an assessment is needed to provide the quantitative data • 5% is unique to the event – the people, the place and the time • The assessment will provide all of this data

25. Disaster Management is: 80% generic 15% specific 5% unique to all disasters to the hazard to the event 1. Organisation earthquake EOC time large numbers of trapped and injured coordination place large numbers of homeless and displaced communications weather large numbers of dead and missing transport logistics and supplies geography dead, injured and missing staff information and media climate damaged critical infrastruture/resources (hospitals, vehicles) reporting and surveillance loss of water, gas, electricity, phone, transport, fuel networks security 2. Response loss of road, sea, air, rail infrastructutre / access search and rescue politics long period of SAR, victim extraction evacuation economy high demand for FA, stretchers, triage, medical transport mass casualty management governance high demand for beds, surgery, blood products, referral management of dead and missing wound infections, amputations, tetanus, dust inhalation security emergency management capacity high demand for orthotics, prosthetics, disability, dental temporary shelter, clothing and utensils logistics capacity demand for specialised spinal and head injury care emergency water, sanitation and energy disposal of inappropriate donations high demand for temporary shelter, food, utensils, stoves, emergency food supplies water, energy, clothing, tents, blankets emergency public and environmental health leadership high demand for psychosocial support of victims and staff emergency engineering and public works solidarity management of donated supplies/foreign teams morale 3. Recovery few outbreaks of communicable diseases corruption variable demand for medicines and equipment crime (acute/chronic injury care - high, infectious disease - low, curative and public health care looting potentially unstable chronic disease - medium) education agriculture compensation claims contamination of water, air and soil trade and commerce insurance claims toxic chemical, sewerage and gas leaks/spills 4. Rehabilitation and Reconstruction urban fires, explosions ownership disputes contaminated, infested and unsafe foods people property disputes increased vector breeding property services loss of livelihoods, markets, distribution networks livelihoods environment THIS IS WHAT WE PLAN FOR ….

26. Advantages of a Standard Template • prepared for the people who need to use the information (managers, decision makers) • controls what kind of information is collected • standardised protocols for data collection • standardised terminology, technologies, methods and procedures • enforces “Zero” reporting • facilitates preparation of consolidated reports • facilitates rapid analysis and dissemination

27. Disadvantages of a Standard Template • prepared by the people who need the information • those collecting the information have no input into design • controls what kind of information is collected • non standard information cannot be included • standardises the terms used • qualitative information might not be captured

28. What else do we do?

33. National committee Overall commander A B C D Zone commander Site commander Team leaders Reporting The Command Structure

34. Thank you Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines