MEDBOX | Toolbox Internet Resources

In Control: A Practical Handbook for Professionals Working in Health Emergencies Internationally RKI

Robert Koch Institut RKI (2023) CC

The greatest risk to persons engaging in international medical emergency response is poor preparation. The In Control handbook hopes to provide a remedy. At the time of writing, we are living through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a health emergency that disregards physical borders, brings into focus social inequalities and affects people on every continent. This shared challenge requires unprecedented measures and the collaboration of the brightest minds to support global health protection through this crisis and beyond. Healthcare infrastructures have to be strengthened, public health capacities and processes upgraded, medical countermeasures and vaccinations found and psychosocial side-effects treated. Solidarity is the normative order of the day and the human species has to collaborate to face this invisible threat. Hiding and living in fear is not an option in this interconnected world. We have both a responsibility and an opportunity to make substantial contributions to a safer, healthier and more sustainable future for us all. The existence of this handbook is an impressive example of solidarity. Over 50 authors from more than 15 institutes and organisations have come together voluntarily within a very short time to make their expertise available and enable cross-sectoral thinking. Knowledge is bundled, resources are combined, information gaps are filled. The In Control handbook is not a theoretical treatise of possible dangers, but a collection of subject-matter expertise, written by experts and practitioners who have shaped health topics over the past 20 years in the most diverse corners of the world. The Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is collaborating with its partners and investing heavily in the build-up of operational know-how and capacity to support health crisis response abroad. This is done by preparing and enabling professionals to deploy safely across the world to assist those in need. In Control addresses the multi-faceted challenges of an international deployment. Readers will find not only technical medical information, but also insights into, for example, the fragility of our environment, the cultural differences that influence risk communication or the dilemmas arising from social distancing. Legal principles are highlighted, along with ethical guidance to ensure that our actions and decisions correspond to the highest moral standards

Tags: health emergency, handbook, Emergency Response,

Source: https://reliefweb.int/attachments/b48202

Tools for training and education of hand hygiene

World Health Organization WHO (2019) C_WHO

All health-care workers require clear and comprehensive training and education on the importance of hand hygiene, the "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" approach and the correct procedures for handrubbing and handwashing. The following tools and resources are meant to support bridging the knowledge gap and for you to adopt and adapt to support local improvement

Tags: online resource, Training, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Hand Hygiene,

Source: https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-hea

Auto-Visual AFP Detection and Reporting (AVADAR)

eHealth Africa Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2019) CC

AVADAR is a mobile sms-based software application designed to improve the quality and sensitivity of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance by health workers and key informants within hospital facilities and local communities. The idea is simple: Health workers visit remote villages to check if local inhabitants have any symptoms of a range of life-threatening infectious diseases, including polio and measles. Then, with the mobile app, they quickly and easily alert WHO. The AFP video component was developed by World Health Organization (WHO) and eHA, and the software design component was handled by Novel-T. To date, eHA has translated the app into 17 languages. Informant Selection & Capacity Building The selection of informants (including health workers) was led by the WHO and each country’s Ministry of Health team. Once selected, screening and training was jointly conducted by WHO, the Ministries of Health, and eHealth Africa team. In several countries, “special informants” with limited literacy participate in the project via a simplified version of the app that only requires a “yes” or “no” response to having seen a child with AFP symptom

Tags: app, capactiy, capacity building, training aids, alert, ehealth, polio, emergeny, management, Surveillance,

Source: https://www.ehealthafrica.org/avadar

The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic

Sachs, J., Karim, S., Aknin, L. et al. The Lancet Commissions (2022) CC

This Commission report aims to contribute to a new era of multilateral cooperation based on strong UN institutions to reduce the dangers of COVID-19, forestall the next pandemic, and enable the world to achieve the agreed goals of sustainable development, human rights, and peace that governments are committed to pursue as members of the UN. We address this Commission report to the UN member states, the UN agencies and multilateral institutions, and multilateral processes such as the G20 and the G7

Tags: COVID-19, Lessons learned, future, pandemic, governance, global health governance, UN, sustainable development, multilateral, outbreak, airborne infections, airborne precautions, biosafety, laboratory biosafety,

Source: https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf

Framework and toolkit for infection prevention and control in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the health care facility level

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

Infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics are increasing in frequency, scale and impact. Health care facilities can amplify the transmission of emerging infectious diseases or multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) within their settings and communities. Therefore, evidence-based infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in health care facilities are critical for preventing and containing outbreaks, while still delivering safe, effective and quality health care. This toolkit is intended to support IPC improvements for outbreak management in all such facilities, both public and private throughout the health system. Specifically, this document systematically describes a framework of overarching principles to approach the preparedness, readiness and response outbreak management phases. The document also provides a toolkit of resource links to guide specific actions for each infectious disease and/or MDRO outbreak management phase at any health facility. This document is specifically tailored to an audience of stakeholders who establish and monitor health care facility-level IPC programs including: IPC focal points, epidemiologists, public health experts, outbreak response incident managers, facility-level IPC committee(s), safety and quality leads and managers, and other facility level IPC stakeholders

Tags: ipc, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), outbreak prevention, Outbreak Preparedness Plan and Coordination, outbreak management, Healthcare facilities,

Source: https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstream

The Lancet (2022) CC

The Lancet Group publishes the latest monkeypox-related content across epidemiology, treatments, and much more. Here you can explore monkeypox content published across all Lancet journals and content types. All of our monkeypox content is free to access

Tags: resource platform, monkeypox, Treatment, Epidemiology, studies, research, open access,

Source: https://www.thelancet.com/monkeypox/coll

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNDRR Website

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNDRR (2022) CC

Tags: planetary health, training, education, resource platforms, disaster risk, Natural disaster, Disaster risk reduction,

Source: https://www.preventionweb.net/

Framework and toolkit for infection prevention and control in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the national level

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

14 Dec 2021

Tags: ipc, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), outbreak prevention, Outbreak Preparedness Plan and Coordination,

Source: https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstream

Global Risk Data Platform

UNEP/UNISDR (2021) CC

The PREVIEW Global Risk Data Platform is a multiple agencies effort to share spatial data information on global risk from natural hazards. Users can visualise, download or extract data on past hazardous events, human & economical hazard exposure and risk from natural hazards. It covers tropical cyclones and related storm surges, drought, earthquakes, biomass fires, floods, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. The collection of data is made via a wide range of partners (see About for data sources). This was developed as a support to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) and replace the previous PREVIEW platform already available since 2000. Many improvements were made on the data and on the application

Tags: natural hazard, Natural disaster, database, maps, Information sharing,

Source: https://preview.grid.unep.ch/

Open WHO; World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

The objective of this course is to provide high-level information and contextual understanding of WHO Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Emergencies. We will explore a range of topics, ranging from the Emergency Response Framework (ERF), to planning, grants and finance, procurement, risk management, rosters and deployment, and ethics. Each module within this course is standalone. Therefore, you can take the modules in any order – with the exception of the Course Review. The Course Review is a question-based revision module that recaps the content covered in modules 1 to 10. The target audience for this course is personnel who will be assigned by WHO to go on deployment in response to health emergencies. The course is available in English and Frenc

Tags: SOP, Online Courses, emergencies, Community based disaster risk management (CBDRM), Emergency response operations,

Source: https://openwho.org/courses/SOPs-for-eme

	In Control: A Practical Handbook for Professionals Working in Health Emergencies Internationally RKI Robert Koch Institut RKI (2023) CC View PDF(46) Download (44) Add to my MEDBOX The greatest risk to persons engaging in international medical emergency response is poor preparation. The In Control handbook hopes to provide a remedy. At the time of writing, we are living through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a health emergency that disregards physical borders, brings into focus social inequalities and affects people on every continent. This shared challenge requires unprecedented measures and the collaboration of the brightest minds to support global health protection through this crisis and beyond. Healthcare infrastructures have to be strengthened, public health capacities and processes upgraded, medical countermeasures and vaccinations found and psychosocial side-effects treated. Solidarity is the normative order of the day and the human species has to collaborate to face this invisible threat. Hiding and living in fear is not an option in this interconnected world. We have both a responsibility and an opportunity to make substantial contributions to a safer, healthier and more sustainable future for us all. The existence of this handbook is an impressive example of solidarity. Over 50 authors from more than 15 institutes and organisations have come together voluntarily within a very short time to make their expertise available and enable cross-sectoral thinking. Knowledge is bundled, resources are combined, information gaps are filled. The In Control handbook is not a theoretical treatise of possible dangers, but a collection of subject-matter expertise, written by experts and practitioners who have shaped health topics over the past 20 years in the most diverse corners of the world. The Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is collaborating with its partners and investing heavily in the build-up of operational know-how and capacity to support health crisis response abroad. This is done by preparing and enabling professionals to deploy safely across the world to assist those in need. In Control addresses the multi-faceted challenges of an international deployment. Readers will find not only technical medical information, but also insights into, for example, the fragility of our environment, the cultural differences that influence risk communication or the dilemmas arising from social distancing. Legal principles are highlighted, along with ethical guidance to ensure that our actions and decisions correspond to the highest moral standards Tags: health emergency, handbook, Emergency Response, Source: https://reliefweb.int/attachments/b48202
	Tools for training and education of hand hygiene World Health Organization WHO (2019) C_WHO Open external link (1818) Add to my MEDBOX All health-care workers require clear and comprehensive training and education on the importance of hand hygiene, the "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" approach and the correct procedures for handrubbing and handwashing. The following tools and resources are meant to support bridging the knowledge gap and for you to adopt and adapt to support local improvement Tags: online resource, Training, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Hand Hygiene, Source: https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-hea
	Auto-Visual AFP Detection and Reporting (AVADAR) eHealth Africa Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2019) CC Open external link (1937) Add to my MEDBOX AVADAR is a mobile sms-based software application designed to improve the quality and sensitivity of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance by health workers and key informants within hospital facilities and local communities. The idea is simple: Health workers visit remote villages to check if local inhabitants have any symptoms of a range of life-threatening infectious diseases, including polio and measles. Then, with the mobile app, they quickly and easily alert WHO. The AFP video component was developed by World Health Organization (WHO) and eHA, and the software design component was handled by Novel-T. To date, eHA has translated the app into 17 languages. Informant Selection & Capacity Building The selection of informants (including health workers) was led by the WHO and each country’s Ministry of Health team. Once selected, screening and training was jointly conducted by WHO, the Ministries of Health, and eHealth Africa team. In several countries, “special informants” with limited literacy participate in the project via a simplified version of the app that only requires a “yes” or “no” response to having seen a child with AFP symptom Tags: app, capactiy, capacity building, training aids, alert, ehealth, polio, emergeny, management, Surveillance, Source: https://www.ehealthafrica.org/avadar
	The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic Sachs, J., Karim, S., Aknin, L. et al. The Lancet Commissions (2022) CC Open external link (585) Add to my MEDBOX This Commission report aims to contribute to a new era of multilateral cooperation based on strong UN institutions to reduce the dangers of COVID-19, forestall the next pandemic, and enable the world to achieve the agreed goals of sustainable development, human rights, and peace that governments are committed to pursue as members of the UN. We address this Commission report to the UN member states, the UN agencies and multilateral institutions, and multilateral processes such as the G20 and the G7 Tags: COVID-19, Lessons learned, future, pandemic, governance, global health governance, UN, sustainable development, multilateral, outbreak, airborne infections, airborne precautions, biosafety, laboratory biosafety, Source: https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf
	Framework and toolkit for infection prevention and control in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the health care facility level World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO View PDF(143) Download (80) Add to my MEDBOX Infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics are increasing in frequency, scale and impact. Health care facilities can amplify the transmission of emerging infectious diseases or multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) within their settings and communities. Therefore, evidence-based infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in health care facilities are critical for preventing and containing outbreaks, while still delivering safe, effective and quality health care. This toolkit is intended to support IPC improvements for outbreak management in all such facilities, both public and private throughout the health system. Specifically, this document systematically describes a framework of overarching principles to approach the preparedness, readiness and response outbreak management phases. The document also provides a toolkit of resource links to guide specific actions for each infectious disease and/or MDRO outbreak management phase at any health facility. This document is specifically tailored to an audience of stakeholders who establish and monitor health care facility-level IPC programs including: IPC focal points, epidemiologists, public health experts, outbreak response incident managers, facility-level IPC committee(s), safety and quality leads and managers, and other facility level IPC stakeholders Tags: ipc, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), outbreak prevention, Outbreak Preparedness Plan and Coordination, outbreak management, Healthcare facilities, Source: https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstream
	Monkeypox content collection The Lancet (2022) CC Open external link (491) Add to my MEDBOX The Lancet Group publishes the latest monkeypox-related content across epidemiology, treatments, and much more. Here you can explore monkeypox content published across all Lancet journals and content types. All of our monkeypox content is free to access Tags: resource platform, monkeypox, Treatment, Epidemiology, studies, research, open access, Source: https://www.thelancet.com/monkeypox/coll
	United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNDRR Website The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNDRR (2022) CC Open external link (1469) Add to my MEDBOX Tags: planetary health, training, education, resource platforms, disaster risk, Natural disaster, Disaster risk reduction, Source: https://www.preventionweb.net/
	Framework and toolkit for infection prevention and control in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the national level World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO View PDF(187) Download (219) Add to my MEDBOX 14 Dec 2021 Tags: ipc, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), outbreak prevention, Outbreak Preparedness Plan and Coordination, Source: https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstream
	Global Risk Data Platform UNEP/UNISDR (2021) CC Open external link (1884) Add to my MEDBOX The PREVIEW Global Risk Data Platform is a multiple agencies effort to share spatial data information on global risk from natural hazards. Users can visualise, download or extract data on past hazardous events, human & economical hazard exposure and risk from natural hazards. It covers tropical cyclones and related storm surges, drought, earthquakes, biomass fires, floods, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. The collection of data is made via a wide range of partners (see About for data sources). This was developed as a support to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) and replace the previous PREVIEW platform already available since 2000. Many improvements were made on the data and on the application Tags: natural hazard, Natural disaster, database, maps, Information sharing, Source: https://preview.grid.unep.ch/
	WHO Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Emergencies Open WHO; World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO Open external link (1065) Add to my MEDBOX The objective of this course is to provide high-level information and contextual understanding of WHO Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Emergencies. We will explore a range of topics, ranging from the Emergency Response Framework (ERF), to planning, grants and finance, procurement, risk management, rosters and deployment, and ethics. Each module within this course is standalone. Therefore, you can take the modules in any order – with the exception of the Course Review. The Course Review is a question-based revision module that recaps the content covered in modules 1 to 10. The target audience for this course is personnel who will be assigned by WHO to go on deployment in response to health emergencies. The course is available in English and Frenc Tags: SOP, Online Courses, emergencies, Community based disaster risk management (CBDRM), Emergency response operations, Source: https://openwho.org/courses/SOPs-for-eme