Functional Simulation Exercise on Functionality of National Public Health Emergency Operations Centers in the African Region: Review of Strengths and Gaps.

Abstract

National public health emergency operations centers (PHEOCs) serve as hubs for coordinating information and resources for effective emergency management. In the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, a simulation exercise is 1 of 4 components that can be used to test the functionality of a country's emergency response capabilities in a simulated situation. To test the functionality of PHEOCs in World Health Organization African Region member states, a regional functional exercise simulating an Ebola virus disease outbreak was conducted. The public health actions taken in response to the simulated outbreak were evaluated against the exercise objectives. Thematic analysis was conducted to summarize key strengths and areas for improvement. From December 6 to 7, 2022, more than 1,000 representatives from 36 of the 47 African Region member states participated in the exercise from their respective PHEOCs. Approximately 95% of the 461 participants polled agreed with the positive responses to the postexercise survey. More than half of the PHEOC participants were able to test their existing emergency preparedness and response plans and became familiar with the expected roles to be fulfilled during an event. Of the participants who responded to the survey, over 90% reported that the exercise helped them understand their roles during emergency management. The exercise met its objectives and provided an opportunity to test the functionality of PHEOCs using realistic scenarios, and it helped participants understand existing response systems and procedures. However, the exercise also revealed areas for improvement in terms of the timing and preparation of participants. We recommend conducting functional exercises at the regional and national levels at least once a year, early or midyear, to allow many stakeholders to take part in the exercise. Moreover, there is a need to train country-level evaluators and controllers in designing and conducting functional exercises.