HOW TO USE THIS MODEL

How to Use This Model

This computer model is designed to give estimates of the number of staff you would need to operate a mass prophylaxis center given the specific population size and staff limitations of your jurisdiction. To review some limitations of these model-derived estimates, see the Introduction.

To use the model, do the following:
INPUTS
1. Go to Section 1: User Inputs
2. Look briefly at the two Patient Flow Diagrams on which this model is based. The first diagram could be used for response to a non-communicable agent like anthrax for which you would need to dispense antibiotics. The second could be used for smallpox vaccinations either in a pre-event setting or a post-event setting. At the bottom of User Input page, you can set the model to run either the anthrax or smallpox plans.
3. Enter the required information, including the size of your covered population and the time frame in which you aim to complete prophylaxis.

NOTE: Later in the model (Section 6, Staff Limits Calculation) you can see whether your available staff can actually accomplish this task in the time you specify here.

4. Chose from the drop-down menus details of clinic activities like operating hours, number of shifts, and percentage “downtime” for your staff (10-20% is a good estimate). To use the drop-down menus, click over the item of interest and then click on the small arrow that appears on the right side of the box. This will bring up the options for that particular data field, which you can then click to choose.
5. Choose whether you plan to use a pre-determined patient flow rate (e.g., regulated by security or law enforcement officers at the door of the clinic) or are going to base your clinic flow rate on the number, size, and duration of briefings.
6. If you are interested in running the smallpox vaccination model, choose whether you would like to include Crisis/Isolation Counseling Stations and/or Testing Stations.
7. Choose from one of the pre-set processing time selections: Slow, Baseline, or Fast. (For the actual time estimates underlying these categories, see Section 7: Summary of Scenarios)
8. Now choose which type of agent you are modeling: non-communicable like anthrax or communicable (in which case you may need a separate contact precaution area) like smallpox
9. Finally, choose your scenario: pre-event (in which there are no sick cases, although there may be “worried well” and people suffering from medical conditions not directly related to the attack); small post-event; or large post-event. For complete details of these scenarios, see the proportions corresponding to patient flow through the clinics described in Section 7: Summary of Scenarios.
10. Check the Summary section to make sure that your choices were properly recorded