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. 2024 Nov 11;24(1):3114.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20629-z.

A systematic literature review on public health and healthcare resources for pandemic preparedness planning

Berend H H Beishuizen  1   2 , Mart L Stein  3 , Joeri S Buis  3 , Alma Tostmann  4 , Caroline Green  5 , Jim Duggan  5 , Máire A Connolly  6 , Chantal P Rovers  7 , Aura Timen  3   8
Affiliations

A systematic literature review on public health and healthcare resources for pandemic preparedness planning

Berend H H Beishuizen et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Generating insights into resource demands during outbreaks is an important aspect of pandemic preparedness. The EU PANDEM-2 project used resource modelling to explore the demand profile for key resources during pandemic scenarios. This review aimed to identify public health and healthcare resources needed to respond to pandemic threats and the ranges of parameter values on the use of these resources for pandemic influenza (including the novel influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic) and the COVID-19 pandemic, to support modelling activities.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review and searched Embase and Medline databases (1995 - June 2023) for articles that included a model, scenario, or simulation of pandemic resources and/or describe resource parameters, for example personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, length of stay (LoS) in intensive care unit (ICU), or vaccine efficacy. Papers with data on resource parameters from all countries were included.

Results: We identified 2754 articles of which 147 were included in the final review. Forty-six different resource parameters with values related to non-ICU beds (n = 43 articles), ICU beds (n = 57), mechanical ventilation (n = 39), healthcare workers (n = 12), pharmaceuticals (n = 21), PPE (n = 8), vaccines (n = 26), and testing and tracing (n = 19). Differences between resource types related to pandemic influenza and COVID-19 were observed, for example on mechanical ventilation (mostly for COVID-19) and testing & tracing (all for COVID-19).

Conclusion: This review provides an overview of public health and healthcare resources with associated parameters in the context of pandemic influenza and the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing insight into the ranges of plausible parameter values on the use of public health and healthcare resources improves the accuracy of results of modelling different scenarios, and thus decision-making by policy makers and hospital planners. This review also highlights a scarcity of published data on important public health resources.

Keywords: Bed occupancy; COVID-19; Health Workforce; Public health; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. This study is a systematic review of existing literature on public health and healthcare resources. No subjects were enrolled in this study. Patients or members of the public were not involved in the development of the research question or choice of outcome measures. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart of studies included in this review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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