Decision support in a fieldable laboratory management during an epidemic outbreak of disease

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the decision-making process and provide a decision support framework for deployment of an on-site analytical capacity (a fieldable laboratory (FL)) to contain an expanding outbreak and protect public health. Design/methodology/approach The FL mission cycle consists of five successive interlinked phases with a set of operational functions (OFs) performed during the mission. The list of phases, OFs and their contents were iteratively developed during and after FL missions and validated with operational partners. Findings The well-defined structure of the FL domain appears as the best functional basis for tracking the decision-making process across the whole mission cycle. Description of all the FL elements and information flows addresses the major issue of interoperability of resources used by similar international capacities (inter-)acting as operational partners in global response to the crisis. Originality/value The work presents the first attempt in this field to systematically describe and chronologically organize the decisions taken by a FL manager and staff during all phases of the FL mission cycle. Definition of OFs with all the related information flows allows for comparison of procedures, their better planning and refining, validation of protocols, mutual training and operational improvement between FLs from different geographical, organizational and cultural origins.

Knowledge management in pandemics. A critical literature review

“…This topic covers social distancing and other measures to contrast pandemic spread, like school closure (Viner et al, 2020), quarantine, isolation, contingent access to basic necessities during lockdown. Effects of these measures are however not linear, thus affecting the stock and the quality of key resources of pandemic management, like health workforce (Southby, 2006;Viner et al, 2020), or the workforce in the supply chains of the basic necessities, like fuel, food production and distribution (Southby, 2006). Viner et al (2020) support that because of school closure, the parental licence of health workforce during pandemic increases, producing a negative effect on the heath system capacity to contrast the pandemic.…”

“…However, unlike other natural disasters, pandemics' devastating effects can be actively shaped and mitigated by managers, through right and timely decisions. Decisions are critical to manage the spread of the pandemic, and the effectiveness of these decisions depends upon the capacity to create, share, collect, transfer, and elaborate knowledge, that is by an effective and efficient process of knowledge management in pandemics (Bdeir et al, 2013;Viner et al, 2020).…”

Operations Management and Decision Making in Deployment of an On-Site Biological Analytical Capacity

“…• The mechanism allowing continuous improvement of the FL structure and configuration has been identified. The FL-MC has been described as consisting of five successive phases with 14 steps and 92 operational functions [57,58]. The OFs required for carrying out the mission have been identified and described in detail; the decisions to be made at each OF have been defined and information needs for taking every decision have been identified.…”

“…When analyzing and modeling the decision-making process in the domain of a FL deployment in response to a biological crisis, we assume that all decisions during the FL-MC [39,58] (with reference to numerous works in humanitarian and defense operations decision making, such as [ The possibility of a mission and its further implementation is based on the presupposition that a mobile capacity exists, is available and is ready for deployment. This starting point serves as the main prerequisite for the possibility for the mission launch.…”

Guest editorial

“…The paper by Noori et al (2016) presents an approach to analyze coordination in new networked settings, reflecting the novel and dynamic structures that arise through collaboration of professionals and volunteers enabled by new communication technology. Vybornova et al (2016) provide a reflection on decision-makers' information in the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak.…”