A methodological approach to intra-action reviews - application and adaptation of existing global guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic response in Ireland, 2021

Abstract

Many countries were under-prepared for the arrival of an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic. An intra-action review allows countries, systems and services to reflect on their preparedness and response to date, and revise their policies and approaches as needed. We describe the approach to undertaking an intra-action review of Ireland’s Health Protection COVID-19 response during 2021. A project team within National Health Protection developed a project plan, identified key stakeholders, trained facilitators and designed workshop programmes, employing integrated collaborative web tools. Multidisciplinary representatives participated in three half-day, independently facilitated workshops on challenges and solutions within specific response areas: communication, governance and cross-cutting themes such as staff well-being. An all-stakeholder survey sought further in-depth detail. Participants reviewed the ongoing pandemic response in terms of good practice and challenges and recommended implementable solutions. We customised our mixed-methods approach using existing ECDC/WHO guidance, producing consensus recommendations during Ireland’s fourth wave of COVID-19, with particular focus on pathways to implementation. Our adaptations may help others in formulating and customising methodological approaches. During an emergency, identifying and reflecting on good practices to retain, and areas for strengthening, with a clear action plan of implementing recommendations, will enhance preparedness now, and for future emergencies.

Assessing public health preparedness and response in the European Union- a review of regional simulation exercises and after action reviews

“…All the SimEx/AAR in this report are from 2018 or before, but it will be important that organisers of exercises use these manuals in the future. Recent COVID-19 IAR at EU level and in Ireland are examples that shows this guideline is in use [ 17 – 19 ]. An AAR registry is another measure proposed to facilitate organizational improvement [ 10 ].…”

Where are we now?

“…Public health measures to mitigate the mortality and morbidity of COVID-19 have impacted not only the spread of other respiratory pathogens but also other aspects of infectious disease epidemiology. Among the many related submissions received in 2023, we aimed to select for publication those that we felt brought new insight or that could be adapted to another setting [3][4][5]. As in previous years, topics covered regularly in the journal included (but were not limited to) results from vaccine effectiveness studies for vaccines against influenza and COVID-19, epidemiology of vaccinepreventable diseases, surveillance of antimicrobialresistant pathogens, outbreaks of hospital-acquired infections, emergence of vector-borne diseases as well as tuberculosis, HIV, and food-and waterborne diseases.…”