General Practice and Pandemic Influenza: A Framework for Planning and Comparison of Plans in Five Countries

2008

Planning for Pandemic Influenza in General Practice

Sample size: 89 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Patel Mahomed S., Phillips Christine B., Pearce Christopher, Kljakovic Marjan, Dugdale Paul, Glasgow Nicholas

Primary Institution: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian National University

There is a need for a systematic framework to guide general practice in planning for pandemic influenza.

The study developed a framework that identifies critical shortcomings in existing pandemic plans for general practice.

The framework identifies four functional domains: clinical care, public health responsibilities, internal environment, and macro-environment.
Most plans either ignored or were sketchy about non-influenza clinical needs.
Engaging general practice effectively in planning is challenging due to weak governance structures.

This study created a guide to help doctors prepare for a flu pandemic, showing where current plans are lacking.

The framework was developed using the Haddon matrix and involved analyzing 89 publicly available pandemic plans from five countries.

The findings are exploratory and indicate directions for further planning and research.

Health professionals engaged in pandemic planning, including general practitioners and practice nurses.

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