WHO benchmarks for strengthening health emergency capacities

WHO benchmarks for strengthening health emergency capacities PDF

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2024-01-25

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 9240086765

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The WHO Benchmarks for International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Capacities was first published in 2019 and serves as a capacity-building tool and reference document to guide development/updating of country health security plans, including the national action plan for health security (NAPHS). It is now updated to a second edition which incorporates lessons learned from recent health emergencies, as well as alignment with updated IHRMEF tools, the HEPR framework, the WHO Director-General’s ten proposals to build a safer world together, and to build back better through multi-hazard and whole-of-society approaches to support better preparedness for future emergencies. Over 250 relevant technical leads contributed to this edition, by providing inputs from WHO regional offices, countries, partners and participation in global consultation meetings. The second edition is titled “WHO Benchmarks for Strengthening Health Emergency Capacities: Support for the Implementation of International Health Regulations (IHR) and Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPR) Capacities”. WHO benchmarks are further digitalized for easy and quick use, along with a reference library, which is currently being updated. The audience for this document includes WHO Member States, health ministries and other relevant ministries, healthstakeholders, partners, nongovernmental organizations and academia to support building capacities at the country level.

Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response PDF

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-11-28

Total Pages: 501

ISBN-13: 0309670381

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

When communities face complex public health emergencies, state local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies must make difficult decisions regarding how to effectively respond. The public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) system, with its multifaceted mission to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, is inherently complex and encompasses policies, organizations, and programs. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States has invested billions of dollars and immeasurable amounts of human capital to develop and enhance public health emergency preparedness and infrastructure to respond to a wide range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events. Despite the investments in research and the growing body of empirical literature on a range of preparedness and response capabilities and functions, there has been no national-level, comprehensive review and grading of evidence for public health emergency preparedness and response practices comparable to those utilized in medicine and other public health fields. Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response reviews the state of the evidence on PHEPR practices and the improvements necessary to move the field forward and to strengthen the PHEPR system. This publication evaluates PHEPR evidence to understand the balance of benefits and harms of PHEPR practices, with a focus on four main areas of PHEPR: engagement with and training of community-based partners to improve the outcomes of at-risk populations after public health emergencies; activation of a public health emergency operations center; communication of public health alerts and guidance to technical audiences during a public health emergency; and implementation of quarantine to reduce the spread of contagious illness.

Health systems for health security

Health systems for health security PDF

Author:

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2021-06-25

Total Pages: 54

ISBN-13: 9240029680

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Health Systems for Health Security (HSforHS) Framework guides developing capacities for International Health Regulations (IHR), and components in health systems and other sectors that work in synergy to meet the demands imposed by health emergencies. HSforHS offers an innovative and country-focused approach that builds on the lessons learned from recent health emergencies, including the COVID-19 Pandemic. The HSforHS Framework complements existing concepts and tools that support capacity-building for global health security. The HSforHS Framework is structured to: Support stakeholders to better understand what Health Systems for Health Security entails, Delineate the essential components of health systems and other sectors that play an important role in health security, Explain how countries can define, prioritize and monitor the actions and investments in health security, health systems and other sectors that can support multisectoral and multidisciplinary management of health emergencies, Help partners and donors better support countries in strengthening their health security capacities, and Highlight challenges related to the implementation of the HSforHS Framework.

Strengthening health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings

Strengthening health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings PDF

Author:

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2022-02-10

Total Pages: 74

ISBN-13: 9240040897

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This guidance document aims to support leaders, policy-makers and decision makers in both national and local authorities, who work on strengthening health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings. Building on the key aspects that authorities should consider it proposes possible actions and approaches, that when adapted to different local contexts, will contribute to enhanced prevention, preparedness, and readiness for health emergencies in cities and urban settings for a robust response and eventual recovery. It supplements other existing WHO guidance and tools on urban preparedness, in particular the WHO Framework for Strengthening health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings.

National civil–military health collaboration framework for strengthening health emergency preparedness

National civil–military health collaboration framework for strengthening health emergency preparedness PDF

Author:

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2021-08-05

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9240030344

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

To ensure effective civil-military health collaboration that supports health emergency preparedness interventions required to combat existing or potential threats, and for longer-term health security capacity-building, it is critical to identify pathways for partnership well before a response to a health emergencies is required. To this end, WHO together with Member States and partners developed the National civil-military health collaboration framework for strengthening health emergency preparedness. The aim of this framework is to provide the public health sector and military actors and services at the national level with guidance for establishing, advancing, and maintaining collaboration and coordination, with the focus on country core capacities required to effectively prevent, detect, respond to, recover from and build back better after health emergencies.

National workforce capacity to implement the essential public health functions including a focus on emergency preparedness and response

National workforce capacity to implement the essential public health functions including a focus on emergency preparedness and response PDF

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2022-05-18

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 924005040X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This roadmap is a statement of a collective vision to develop a shared understanding on the definition, classification and scope of work of the workforce which delivers the EPHFs, and the subsequent collaborative activities to build capacity of this workforce through competency-based education. The roadmap is developed with, and for, countries including key stakeholders such as associations of national public health institutes and schools of public health and proposes a differentiated and progressive approach for countries acknowledging varying capacities and contexts. Across the action areas, this will aid countries to benchmark themselves and assess their current situation; facilitate provision of guidance and tools; and support progress to full implementation towards a strengthened public health workforce delivering all EPHFs for UHC, health security and improved health and wellbeing. TARGET AUDIENCE: Policy-makers, health workers and key stakeholders within and outside the health sector involved in public health and emergency preparedness and response.

WHO competency framework, risk communication and community engagement

WHO competency framework, risk communication and community engagement PDF

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2024-05-03

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9240092501

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) competency framework is a resource that details the essential behaviours and activities necessary for effective communication and engagement with communities before, during and after public health emergencies. The purpose of this framework is to establish and promote a common understanding of behavioural competencies and how they should be applied for high-performing and community-centred health emergency programmes. It is intended to support the development of standardized training programmes, professional development and talent acquisition and to enhance the capabilities of public health professionals involved in RCCE. Its goal is to inform the establishment of a skilled, well-trained RCCE workforce that consistently understands and executes the necessary behaviours and activities required to conduct RCCE activities with competence and professionalism.

Defining collaborative surveillance: a core concept for strengthening the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response, and resilience (HEPR)

Defining collaborative surveillance: a core concept for strengthening the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response, and resilience (HEPR) PDF

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2023-05-22

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 9240074066

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The complex challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other major health emergencies emphasize the need to rethink our approach to surveillance, while building upon the momentum of substantive investments in public health capacity in recent years. At the 75th World Health Assembly in May 2022, WHO set out a harmonizing framework to strengthen the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response, and resilience (HEPR). Under the proposed global architecture, the ability to effectively prevent, prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from health emergencies at subnational, national, regional and global levels depend on the operational readiness and capacities in five interconnected systems: collaborative surveillance, community protection, safe and scalable clinical care, access to countermeasures, and emergency coordination. This document defines the collaborative surveillance concept—proposing a conceptual model, dimensions across which collaboration should occur to enable multi-source and multisectoral surveillance, key objectives and concrete capabilities for how countries, with the support of WHO and partners, can further advance surveillance capabilities, and address fragmented and insufficient capacity. The collaborative surveillance concept was developed to support all stakeholders working on surveillance.

Guidance for aligning disease and hazard specific plans with national health security and International Health Regulations (2005) plans

Guidance for aligning disease and hazard specific plans with national health security and International Health Regulations (2005) plans PDF

Author:

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2021-10-14

Total Pages: 37

ISBN-13: 9240032584

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The guidance is to support countries in achieving alignment of disease/hazard plans and emergency preparedness and response plans with broader health security planning such as National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS). The target audience is WHO Member States, technical teams and partners that require support to effectively align disease and hazard-specific planning with broader health security planning in order to address current health emergency risks while building longer-term health emergency preparedness capacities.