Outbreak debrief template

Post-Outbreak Updates

• Epidemiological update

Debrief Session

• Outline, scope, purpose and outcomes of debrief
• Group discussion, guided by debrief template (below)
• Summary of debrief recommendations and next steps

[] PHAC:
[] CFIA:
[] Health Canada:
[] BC:
[] AB:
[] SK:
[] MB:
[] ON:
[] QC:
[] NB:
[] NS:
[] PEI:
[] NL:
[] YT:
[] NT:
[] NU:

Initial stage of the outbreak

• Outbreak detection and surveillance systems (e.g., notification through NESP, PulseNet)
• Verifying the diagnosis through laboratory analysis (serotyping, PFGE, WGS)
• Case definitions (define and identify cases)
• Notification of partners (P/Ts, CDC, use of Public Health Alerts, senior management, Duty Officers)

Outbreak Investigation Coordination Committee

Initial Assessment

• Was the assessment call held in a timely manner? Were partners given enough notice?

Activation

• Decision-making and building consensus around activation of OICC?
• Were the roles and responsibilities of the FIORP Duty Officers understood?

OICC Calls

• Comments on OICC calls (e.g., frequency, structure, attendees)

Describe and orient the data in person, place and time

• Were the epi summaries clear, helpful, and distributed in a timely manner?
• Was the line-list easy to understand?

Hypothesis generation/evaluation

• Develop hypotheses (interviews, interaction with local/provincial partners)
• Evaluate hypotheses (CDC collaboration, review of hypothesis generating interviews)
• Refine hypotheses and carry out additional studies (analytic study methodology, preparation, questionnaire development, implementation and interviewing, analysis)

Lab Investigation

• Use of sequencing as part of the investigation 
• Communication of laboratory results

Food safety investigation (traceback data, risk assessments, recalls, plant investigation, food/environmental sampling)

• Was the appropriate information shared?
• Was it clear? Timely?
• Were the recalls initiated in a timely manner? Were they effective?

Communications

Within OICC:

• Were email updates acceptable and frequent enough?
• Communications between OICC/FIORP Duty Officers and senior management

Public communications

• Decision-making around public communications
• Were communications issued by PHAC and CFIA consistent/coordinated?
• Were public communications effective?

Public Health Measures (what was done, implementation of control and prevention measures)

Post-outbreak

(declaring the outbreak over, closing the OICC, debrief session, final report, Outbreak Summaries)

• Decision-making around declaring the outbreak over and closing the OICC
• Was the debrief session held in a timely manner following the outbreak?

Other issues?