The global pool of simulation exercise materials in health emergency preparedness and response: a scoping review with a health system perspective

McDarby, Geraldine; Reynolds, Lindy; Zibwowa, Zandile; Syed, Shams; Kelley, Ed; Saikat, Sohel

limitations of the review The application of the health system framework to review SimEx materials introduced a degree of subjectivity. In reality, it is the same health system that provides routine healthcare, emergency-specific healthcare and response to a shock impacting public health. This was addressed through discussion as well as with input from health system and security experts in WHO. Similarly, the approach to the analyses conducted required sufficient detail in the identified materials in relation to exercises or objectives, which led to the exclusion of a number of relevant materials as they were not present either with sufficient details or as a package (written narrative, scenario, injects and postexercise report). Both the academic literature and institutional materials were analysed using the same approach. This likely led to an underestimation of effect in relation to academic literature as not all that was tested may have been reported, and an overestimation in relation to institutional materials as objectives may not have been applied effectively within exercises.