Research On The Requirement And Evaluation Of Bioterrorism Attack Medical Response Capacity

BackgroundAs the Beijing Olympics drawing on, the present preparedness and response capability of bioterrorism is confronted with great challenges. Indicators of scene response capacity assessment are very important to the evaluation and improvement of the bioterrorism preparedness and response capacity. The purpose of this research is to establish an appropriate assessment frame and determine its indicators. At the same time, the assessment method for the bioterrorism attack response capacity is initially constructed. Furthermore, response exercises are used to evaluate and test the biological response capacity, so assessment indicators of exercise are also established.ObjectiveTo explore the main assessment indicators content which are included in the bioterrorism response capacity and exercises for biological defense and emergency agency.MethodsInformatics methods such as intelligence survey and status analysis were utilized to establish the elementary assessment indicators.A typical Delphi procedure was used, and the initial questionnaire was developed through literature review and discussion. A multidisciplinary panel of 15 experts specialized in the field of microbiological analysis, health administration, public health emergency and epidemiological and medical informatics were selected for the study. Consultation questionnaires were delivered to the experts by mail in two rounds. All the experts were asked to grade the evaluation indicators, and to explain the extent of cognition and the basis of judgment. The assessment indicators and their weights were determined after two rounds of consultation.ResultsIn the consequence management of the bioterrorism attack event the following response capabilities which cover surveillanc and detection, command and control, scene management of contaminated control zones, biological agents diagnosis, medical treatment, decontamination, individual or collective protection and resources & logistics are essential.After two-round Delphi procedure, the opinion of the experts manifested consensus. The response rate was 86.7% at the first round and 80.0% for the second; the authoritative coefficient of the consulted experts was 0.862; the coherent coefficient was 0.488 for the rank one indicator and 0.793 for those rank two. The capacity assessment frame which covered several essential field as surveillance and detection, command and control, site disposal, diagnosis and characterization of biological agents, individual or collective protection, decontamination, and emergency resource logistics, contained three-rank indicators. The first rank included 7 items, the second rank included 18 items and the third consisted of 54 items. In addition, the weight of each indicator within the equal rank and evaluation criterion were obtained. The general assessment method as Item Power-adding Grade(IPG) was used to calculate the evaluation outcomes.After two rounds of Delphi procedure, the assessment indicator frame of bioterrorism response exercises was established. It contained two-rank indicators and contents for the second rank indicator, furthermore evaluation method and criterion were developed. In all, there were 6 items in the first rank and 15 items in the second, and 50 content items which were used to measure the second rank indicator. The weight of each indicator was obtained.ConclusionThe main assessment indicators of the bioterrorism response capacity and exercises were obtained. The outcome of this study provided a technical basis for the further strengthening and evaluation of bioterrorism preparedness and response capacity. These can be translated into practical guidance for bioterrorism attack emergency planners and first responders at local, regional and national levels.