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Major article| Volume 41, ISSUE 4, e27-e33, April 2013

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Business continuity and pandemic preparedness: US health care versus non-health care agencies

Published:January 21, 2013DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2012.09.010
Business continuity and pandemic preparedness: US health care versus non-health care agencies
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      Background

      Only limited data are available on US business continuity activities related to biologic events.

      Methods

      A questionnaire was administered to human resource professionals during May-July 2011 to assess business continuity related to biologic events, incentives businesses are providing to maximize worker surge capacity, and seasonal influenza vaccination policy. Linear regressions were used to describe factors associated with higher business continuity and pandemic preparedness scores. The χ2 and Fisher exact tests compared health care versus non-health care businesses on preparedness indicators.

      Results

      Possible business continuity and pandemic preparedness scores ranged from 0.5 to 27 and 0 to 15, with average resulting scores among participants at 13.2 and 7.3, respectively. Determinants of business continuity and pandemic preparedness were (1) business size (larger businesses were more prepared), (2) type of business (health care more prepared), (3) having human resource professional as company disaster planning committee member, and (4) risk perception of a pandemic in the next year. Most businesses (63.3%, n = 298) encourage staff influenza vaccination; 2.1% (n = 10) mandate it. Only 10% of businesses (11.0%, n = 52) provide employee incentives, and fewer than half (41.0%, n = 193) stockpile personal protective equipment.

      Conclusion

      Despite the recent H1N1 pandemic, many US businesses lack adequate pandemic plans. It is critical that businesses of all sizes and types become better prepared for a biologic event.

      Key Words

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      Article info

      Publication history

      Published online: January 21, 2013

      Footnotes

      Conflicts of interest: None to report.

      Identification

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2012.09.010

      Copyright

      © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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