Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PANDEM-2 (Pandemic Preparedness and Response)
Reporting period: 2022-02-01 to 2023-07-31
PANDEM-2 has developed solutions to support EU-wide pandemic management. We have worked with national, EU and international stakeholders to develop and demonstrate solutions that contribute to Europe’s capacity to prepare for and respond to pandemic events.
We have achieved the following objectives:
1. To identify, map and integrate pandemic-related data from multiple sources into a coherent database
2. To develop a user dashboard for pandemic preparedness and response training, with visualisation of data from multiple sources, countries, surveillance systems, hospitals, laboratories, social media and more.
3. To deliver resource modelling and health service management tools that simulate arbitrary what-if scenarios and help healthcare providers to plan for delivering the best possible routine care, while responding effectively to the demands of the pandemic
4. To enable new forms of social media analysis, offering insights into public attitudes and actions
5. To create and deliver resources, innovations and training for pandemic communication, to influence public response in health emergencies
6. To deliver capacity building and an operational strategy for cross border pandemic response
7. To deliver long term value beyond the project lifetime. PANDEM-2 results have been validated by ECDC and by multiple member states. They will be used for ongoing training by public health agency RIVM in the Netherlands, and are published under open-access licenses.
We have achieved the following objectives:
1. To identify, map and integrate pandemic-related data from multiple sources into a coherent database
2. To develop a user dashboard for pandemic preparedness and response training, with visualisation of data from multiple sources, countries, surveillance systems, hospitals, laboratories, social media and more.
3. To deliver resource modelling and health service management tools that simulate arbitrary what-if scenarios and help healthcare providers to plan for delivering the best possible routine care, while responding effectively to the demands of the pandemic
4. To enable new forms of social media analysis, offering insights into public attitudes and actions
5. To create and deliver resources, innovations and training for pandemic communication, to influence public response in health emergencies
6. To deliver capacity building and an operational strategy for cross border pandemic response
7. To deliver long term value beyond the project lifetime. PANDEM-2 results have been validated by ECDC and by multiple member states. They will be used for ongoing training by public health agency RIVM in the Netherlands, and are published under open-access licenses.
PANDEM-2 commenced in February 2021.
Our initial activities focused on identifying, collecting and aggregating data that is relevant to pandemics management. This included existing data systems (InfluenzaNet, GoData, etc.), laboratory and hospital systems, and social media. We created a new IT tool, PandemSource, to capture and standardise these data, and place them in a central database. When some data sets were not readily accessible or there were potential privacy issues, we created a system to produce synthetic data. These open-source IT tools remain valuable for future pandemics.
We then created tools to allow the data in our database to be viewed and analysed, so that pandemic managers could understand how the pandemic was unfolding, in terms of cases, hospitalisation, vaccination levels, mortality, and other metrics. This also allowed us to explore the effects of different interventions and policies. Because of the sensitivity of health-related data, we maintained a privacy impact assessment activity throughout the project.
We delivered a second set of tools to allow more powerful planning for the next pandemic. These included further visual analytics, resource planning/optimisation, predictive modelling, and workforce capacity analysis. These tools allow pandemic managers to explore ‘what-if’ scenarios and to assess the resources, training and investment needed for a variety of possible different future health emergencies. These open-source tools remain extremely relevant, post-project.
All the dashboard tools, from data analysis and visualisation to resource modelling and prediction, to decision support, were validated in comprehensive simulation exercises (Table-Top Exercise TTX and Functional Exercise FX). These exercises brought together teams from public health agencies across Europe, showing how cross-border collaboration could actually happen. The exercises fed into operational strategy guidelines for the application of PANDEM-2 technologies at national level, for the future.
Social, legal and ethical aspects of pandemic response, and the correct balancing of public and private perspectives, were a common thread, and influenced our technical and other activities at every level.
Biosafety and Biosecurity are critical, especially as they relate to the movement of infected patients and the handling of samples and diagnostics. We developed improved biosafety/biosecurity guidelines for these processes, building on best practice, analysis of new threats (Zika, Nipah, Ebola), and expert consultation. These improved guidelines are relevant and important for future emergencies.
The need for effective communication between pandemic managers and the general public was repeatedly highlighted during the COVID pandemic. Addressing and countering online mis-information (e.g. on social media) is a particular challenge. We worked with all stakeholders to create a toolkit for pandemic communications, including media-interaction training, examples and templates of key documents and presentations, etc. These communications resources remain of high value for future health emergencies.
PANDEM-2’s technological, training and process-enhancement activities were supplemented by professional communications, dissemination, and project management. A highlight was the Final Conference, shared with sister projects eNOTICE and PROACTIVE, with contributions from ECDC, DG HERA and DG SANTE and a broad spectrum of international stakeholders.
Our initial activities focused on identifying, collecting and aggregating data that is relevant to pandemics management. This included existing data systems (InfluenzaNet, GoData, etc.), laboratory and hospital systems, and social media. We created a new IT tool, PandemSource, to capture and standardise these data, and place them in a central database. When some data sets were not readily accessible or there were potential privacy issues, we created a system to produce synthetic data. These open-source IT tools remain valuable for future pandemics.
We then created tools to allow the data in our database to be viewed and analysed, so that pandemic managers could understand how the pandemic was unfolding, in terms of cases, hospitalisation, vaccination levels, mortality, and other metrics. This also allowed us to explore the effects of different interventions and policies. Because of the sensitivity of health-related data, we maintained a privacy impact assessment activity throughout the project.
We delivered a second set of tools to allow more powerful planning for the next pandemic. These included further visual analytics, resource planning/optimisation, predictive modelling, and workforce capacity analysis. These tools allow pandemic managers to explore ‘what-if’ scenarios and to assess the resources, training and investment needed for a variety of possible different future health emergencies. These open-source tools remain extremely relevant, post-project.
All the dashboard tools, from data analysis and visualisation to resource modelling and prediction, to decision support, were validated in comprehensive simulation exercises (Table-Top Exercise TTX and Functional Exercise FX). These exercises brought together teams from public health agencies across Europe, showing how cross-border collaboration could actually happen. The exercises fed into operational strategy guidelines for the application of PANDEM-2 technologies at national level, for the future.
Social, legal and ethical aspects of pandemic response, and the correct balancing of public and private perspectives, were a common thread, and influenced our technical and other activities at every level.
Biosafety and Biosecurity are critical, especially as they relate to the movement of infected patients and the handling of samples and diagnostics. We developed improved biosafety/biosecurity guidelines for these processes, building on best practice, analysis of new threats (Zika, Nipah, Ebola), and expert consultation. These improved guidelines are relevant and important for future emergencies.
The need for effective communication between pandemic managers and the general public was repeatedly highlighted during the COVID pandemic. Addressing and countering online mis-information (e.g. on social media) is a particular challenge. We worked with all stakeholders to create a toolkit for pandemic communications, including media-interaction training, examples and templates of key documents and presentations, etc. These communications resources remain of high value for future health emergencies.
PANDEM-2’s technological, training and process-enhancement activities were supplemented by professional communications, dissemination, and project management. A highlight was the Final Conference, shared with sister projects eNOTICE and PROACTIVE, with contributions from ECDC, DG HERA and DG SANTE and a broad spectrum of international stakeholders.
PANDEM-2 makes an important contribution to preparation for the next health emergency, and to enabling public health bodies to optimise planning and response. Here, we review some of the ways in which PANDEM-2 drove progress and the impact of such progress.
Data: Effective pandemic management requires access to data from a wide variety of sources, including InfluenzaNet, GoData, Tessy, social media, hospitals, and laboratories. Integrating and ‘making sense’ of these multiple data sources is a key challenge for comprehensive pandemic management. PANDEM-2’s open-source tool PandemSource achieved exactly this capability, and was used successfully throughout the project.
Analysis and Prediction: Converting data into decision support and into evidence to underpin policy is a further essential. PANDEM-2 created and published a toolkit for visualisation, analysis, prediction, resource management and other critical functions. This yielded important research progress in areas such as modelling and prediction, enhancing the scientific state of the art, as well as the societal impact.
PANDEM-2 carried out substantial work on privacy ethics, social and legal aspects for the full duration of the project. The resulting observations and recommendations remain relevant across health-emergency technologies. Within PANDEM-2, they ensured that all our work was legal, ethical and socially acceptable.
Cross-border collaboration and networking are key ‘soft outcomes’ for PANDEM-2. To date, there have been few opportunities to rehearse or realistically simulate cross-border pandemic response. PANDEM-2’s exercises provided real-world experience of cross-border collaboration and how it can be improved, while also facilitating networking across national agencies.
Effective communication is key to public buy-in and behaviour. However, pandemic managers may not have particular public-facing communications skills or expertise. In PANDEM-2, we have trained agencies, responders and others on how to build and maintain trust. We have also co-created and published toolkits, guidelines, training materials and videos to empower public health agencies to communicate effectively.
Data: Effective pandemic management requires access to data from a wide variety of sources, including InfluenzaNet, GoData, Tessy, social media, hospitals, and laboratories. Integrating and ‘making sense’ of these multiple data sources is a key challenge for comprehensive pandemic management. PANDEM-2’s open-source tool PandemSource achieved exactly this capability, and was used successfully throughout the project.
Analysis and Prediction: Converting data into decision support and into evidence to underpin policy is a further essential. PANDEM-2 created and published a toolkit for visualisation, analysis, prediction, resource management and other critical functions. This yielded important research progress in areas such as modelling and prediction, enhancing the scientific state of the art, as well as the societal impact.
PANDEM-2 carried out substantial work on privacy ethics, social and legal aspects for the full duration of the project. The resulting observations and recommendations remain relevant across health-emergency technologies. Within PANDEM-2, they ensured that all our work was legal, ethical and socially acceptable.
Cross-border collaboration and networking are key ‘soft outcomes’ for PANDEM-2. To date, there have been few opportunities to rehearse or realistically simulate cross-border pandemic response. PANDEM-2’s exercises provided real-world experience of cross-border collaboration and how it can be improved, while also facilitating networking across national agencies.
Effective communication is key to public buy-in and behaviour. However, pandemic managers may not have particular public-facing communications skills or expertise. In PANDEM-2, we have trained agencies, responders and others on how to build and maintain trust. We have also co-created and published toolkits, guidelines, training materials and videos to empower public health agencies to communicate effectively.