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Table 2 Characteristics of the WHO-supported AAR and SimEx conducted worldwide where reports were available, February 2016 to December 2019

From: Simulation exercises and after action reviews – analysis of outputs during 2016–2019 to strengthen global health emergency preparedness and response

AAR (n = 42)

SimEx (n = 56a)

 

No.

%

 

No.

%

WHO Regionb

  

WHO Regiona, b, c

  

AFR

32

(76.2%)

AFR

32

(52.5%)

AMR

AMR

1

(1.6%)

EMR

3

(7.1%)

EMR

8

(13.1%)

EUR

5

(11.9%)

EUR

12

(19.7%)

SEAR

SEAR

2

(3.3%)

WPR

2

(4.8%)

WPR

6

(9.8%)

Year AAR conducted

Year SimEx conducted

2016

2016

16

(28.6%)

2017

12

(28.6%)

2017

11

(19.6%)

2018

19

(45.2%)

2018

17

(30.4%)

2019

11

(26.2%)

2019

12

(21.4%)

Type of AAR format

Type of SimEx usedd

Debrief AAR

4

(9.5%)

Table top exercise

36

(62.1%)

Working group AAR

34

(81.0%)

Drill

2

(3.4%)

Key informant interview AAR

Functional exercise

10

(17.2%)

Mixed-method AAR

1

(2.4%)

Field/full-scale exercise

10

(17.2%)

Unknowne

3

(7.1%)

Unknown

Public health event category reviewedf

Public health event category tested

Epidemics and pandemics

38

(90.5%)

Epidemics and pandemics

46

(82.1%)

Natural disasters

3

(7.1%)

Natural disasters

6

(10.7%)

Human-induced/ Societal

1

(2.4%)

Human-induced/ Societal

4

(7.1%)

  1. AAR after action review, SimEx simulation exercise, WHO World Health Organization, AFR African region, AMR Region of the Americas, SEAR South-East Asia Region, EUR European Region, EMR Eastern Mediterranean Region, WPR Western Pacific Region
  2. a One SimEx report was a global functional exercise with 33 countries from the 6 WHO regions
  3. b Member States according to the WHO designated regions
  4. c Each region was counted once for the single global SimEx report where all 6 WHO regions participated, therefore, the No. adds up to 61 instead of 56
  5. d Two SimEx reports had two types being used (e.g., a table top exercise followed by a drill), therefore the No. adds up to 58 instead of 56
  6. e AAR formats were not mentioned in 3 AAR reports
  7. f Each AAR may have one or more public health events reviewed (e.g., the country may have reviewed two epidemics at the same time). When multiple public health events were reviewed in a single AAR, events from the same public health event category was counted only once.