Citation

Asgary A, Aarabi M, Dixit S, Wen H, Ahmed M, Wu J. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024; 21(3): e295.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph21030295

PMID

38541295

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed life and work patterns and reshaped the healthcare industry and public health strategies. It posed considerable challenges to public health emergency operations centers (PHEOCs). In this period, digital technologies such as modeling, simulation, visualization, and mapping (MSVM) emerged as vital tools in these centers. Despite their perceived importance, the potential and adaptation of digital tools in PHEOCs remain underexplored. This study investigated the application of MSVM in the PHEOCs during the pandemic in Canada using a questionnaire survey. The results show that digital tools, particularly visualization and mapping, are frequently used in PHEOCs. However, critical gaps, including data management issues, technical and capacity issues, and limitations in the policy-making sphere, still hinder the effective use of these tools. Key areas identified in this study for future investigation include collaboration, interoperability, and various supports for information sharing and capacity building.

Language: en

Keywords

*COVID-19/epidemiology; Canada/epidemiology; Computer Simulation; COVID-19; digitalization; emergency management; emergency operations center; EOC; Humans; mapping; modeling; pandemic management; Pandemics; PHEOC; Public Health; simulation; survey; visualization