DISINFECTION WITH VAPORIZED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FLUID IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS AND ITS APPLICATIONS AND ADVANTAGES IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

During a global pandemic, mitigating the impact of the disease and coordinating efforts to manage not only the medical but also the logistical and administrative aspects of such an all-encompassing phenomenon are of paramount importance. An extremely important but less publicised issue in this context is laboratory management and safety in analytical laboratories. In times of high capacity utilisation, as is the case during a pandemic or endemic outbreak of disease, other routine processes have to be abbreviated or are cancelled altogether due to lack of planning owing to the rapid emergence of the outbreak. In order to achieve high level of cleanliness in laboratories of all shapes and sizes and with different requirements, a universal solution seems unimaginable. Our experiments show a promising, automated approach of disinfection of various spaces. Within a short timeframe of 1 h – 3 h it is possible to disinfect any desired room to achieve a laboratory grade hygiene status. This was proven by employing biological indicators validated for this procedure. The tested technology reduced the indicator germs by a concentration of the mathematical log 6 reduction. Achieving this high level of cleanliness is possible by assigning a single person to the task for the set-up at the scene. Steering and monitoring of the process can be done remotely. While the machine used in our experiments is not a completely new concept, our experiments in a real-life setting such as laboratories and clinics alike, show that the applied hydrogen peroxide vapour distributed by a specialized fogger, disinfects even hard to reach spots within closed-off spaces. This program can be performed while automated (PCR) machines are running and highly trained personnel can apply their expertise elsewhere. Moreover, while the program is running real-time data is available and the process can be remotely monitored and steered digitally. It is of major concern to ensure maintainability of infrastructure e.g. COVID labs, ambulances, laboratories or veterinary practitioners to ensure treatment of directly and indirectly related health issues within a crisis. We concentrated on evaluating the usability of the disinfection technology presented in real-life settings. © 2022 IDIMT. All rights reserved.

PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE CROSS-BORDER PANDEMIC MANAGEMENT

Within this paper requirements and related gaps associated with cross-border pandemic management are analyzed. In order to systematically investigate the potential of solutions to close such gaps, trials can be executed and evaluated. Core elements of such trials are specific scenarios that frame the validation of the applicability of solutions. Stakeholders involved in pandemic management specified a framing for such scenarios such as cross-border common operational picture and resource management, pandemic management during a refugee crisis and sharing of mobile infrastructure to detect pathogens. An insight in these scenarios is given and, finally, solutions having the potential to close at least partially gaps arising in the mentioned scenarios provided from projects such as STAMINA are presented. © 2022 IDIMT. All rights reserved.

REQUIREMENT FOCUSED INTERVENTION-MATCHING FOR PANDEMIC MANAGEMENT: NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES FOR INVOLVEMENT OF EVIDENCE BASED LESSONS LEARNED

COVID-19 still represents one of the greatest global challenges of the last decades in terms of medical, coordination and management aspects, but also on the societal and economic level. Even after more than two years, the rapidly changing requirements that the emerging variations of the virus call for, show that Austria – as the majority of countries and organizations – is still struggling with a stringent and pertinent management approach. The call for a comprehensive, applicable and interoperable solution portfolio including evidence-based analysis of current processes/structures, tools and infrastructures as well as lessons learned from the current pandemic response, is evident. The enhanced “ROADS to Health”-approach, currently evaluated by national funding agencies, reflects this aim: a holistic solution set aiming at a technologically supported, lessons learned based system for the pandemic management for the future. ROADS focuses on a basis for optimized crisis management for future pandemics/epidemics from a holistic, user-centric perspective. The concrete goal is to create a basis for a technologically supported measure matching to current requirements for decision-makers and critical infrastructures. Thus, interventions or future mitigation measures for the management of a pandemic are matched with concrete and current requirements. This measure matching will build upon the existing "Portfolio of Solutions" (POS) platform developed by AIT. Relevant medical/epidemiological, social, economic and legal fundamentals and different types and characteristics of pandemics/epidemics will also be considered (infection routes, morbidity and mortality risks, affectedness: age, gender ...) as well as various needs, given resources and processes. International lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis, knowledge and results from merging practical experiences from crisis management feed into a concept design to facilitate and initiate technological support for enhanced future pandemics/epidemics tackling and potentially for other crisis situations. This keynote paper will draft the frame of this model by presenting the underlying background and basis of the ROADS to Health-solution set and open the floor for a wider range of perspectives of optimization in pandemic and crisis management. © 2022 IDIMT. All rights reserved.

Risk, vulnerability and resilience analyses for pandemic management: Challenges and perspectives of approaches for the future

COVID-19 represents one of the greatest global challenges of the last decades in terms of medical, coordination and management aspects, but also on the societal and economic level. The borderline experience of dealing with such a complex, global event has shown that Austria - as the majority of countries and organizations - was inadequately prepared for a crisis of this kind in some areas. The call for a comprehensive, applicable and interoperable solution portfolio including evidence-based analysis of current processes/structures, tools and infrastructures as well as lessons learned from the current pandemic response, is evident. The “ROADS to Health” reflect this approach7, a holistic solution set up aiming at developing a technologically supported, clearly structured pandemic management for the future. Experiences from the current management will be processed and included in risk analyses to describe further, possible future pandemic scenarios in order to derive practical resilience strategies and develop connectable tool modules and a roadmap. "Strengthening strengths, bridging weaknesses" will be the overarching goal, taking into account specific, particularly relevant questions and tasks of the stakeholders as well as of other interested parties involved in management with regard to the actual prevention potential of current, isolated measures. Resilience is thus to be promoted in selected, particularly relevant areas and tools for reducing vulnerability are to be made available to decision-makers through a holistic approach. This keynote paper will draft the frame of this model by presenting the underlying background and basis of the ROADS to Health-solution set and open the floor for a wider range of perspectives of optimization in pandemic and crisis management. © 2021 IDIMT 2021 - Pandemics: Impacts, Strategies and Responses, 29th Interdisciplinary Information Management Talks All rights reserved.

Interoperability and crisis management in pandemic outbreak scenarios an overview on different case studies of the austrian approach to tackle the SARS-CoV-2 spread and adherent management challenges

The global spread of the novel Corona Virus, SARS-CoV-2, in the first half of 2020, resulted in a massive strain of multiple and diverse crisis management structures all over the world. Interoperability of governmental and non-governmental responder organizations as well as of analysis and communication infrastructure were put under a real stress test and concepts of the response to this pandemic outbreak were rapidly set up, modified, changed, and applied according to multiple integrated and changing data sources. Austria, as a country with a relatively mild development of the COVID effects, will be selected as a use case provider to exemplify lessons learned. This paper will give a comprehensive overview of the dynamic development of the initial and follow up steps. Examples from a public service provider AGES, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, the research organization and technology provider AIT, and the first responder and social services organization Johanniter Unfallhilfe, will show lessons learned, good practice, but also challenges and open questions or gaps in the wake of this complex crisis scenario. © 2019 by the authors.