Improving modelling for epidemic responses: reflections from members of the UK infectious disease modelling community on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

• 發表在: Wellcome Open Research
• Main Authors: Carl A B Pearson, Anne Cori, Christopher Overton, Sabine van Elsland, Christopher I Jarvis, Edward M Hill, Dale Weston, Edward Knock, Kiesha Prem, Sam Abbott, Joel Hellewell, Sebastian Funk, Elizabeth Fearon, Julián Villabona Arenas, W John Edmunds, Michelle Kendall, Li Pi, Nicholas Davies, Neil Ferguson, Timothy Russell, Rosalind M Eggo, Yang Liu, Adam Kucharski, Marc Baguelin, Katharine Sherratt, Emily Nightingale, Anna C Carnegie
• 格式: Article
• 語言: 英语
• 出版: Wellcome 2024-01-01
• 主題: modelling; COVID-19; pandemic response; eng
• 在線閱讀: https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-12/v1

Background The COVID-19 pandemic both relied and placed significant burdens on the experts involved from research and public health sectors. The sustained high pressure of a pandemic on responders, such as healthcare workers, can lead to lasting psychological impacts including acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout, and moral injury, which can impact individual wellbeing and productivity. Methods As members of the infectious disease modelling community, we convened a reflective workshop to understand the professional and personal impacts of response work on our community and to propose recommendations for future epidemic responses. The attendees represented a range of career stages, institutions, and disciplines. This piece was collectively produced by those present at the session based on our collective experiences. Results Key issues we identified at the workshop were lack of institutional support, insecure contracts, unequal credit and recognition, and mental health impacts. Our recommendations include rewarding impactful work, fostering academia-public health collaboration, decreasing dependence on key individuals by developing teams, increasing transparency in decision-making, and implementing sustainable work practices. Conclusions Despite limitations in representation, this workshop provided valuable insights into the UK COVID-19 modelling experience and guidance for future public health crises. Recognising and addressing the issues highlighted is crucial, in our view, for ensuring the effectiveness of epidemic response work in the future.