key: cord-0009244-hqo4f003
authors: Chotani, Rashid A; LaPorte, Ronald E; Linkov, Faina; Dodani, Sunita; Ahmed, Daniyal; Ibrahim, Khan M
title: Just-in-time lectures: SARS
date: 2003-06-07
journal: Lancet
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(03)13586-6
sha: 460b86f563e7ee6dc5805acf63f44ab7b8545466
doc_id: 9244
cord_uid: hqo4f003

nan

In the event of a health catastrophe, experts can be asked to create background lectures on the epidemiology of the disease, as well as lectures that describe events as they unfold. Information from scientific journals can also be compiled together with the most current reports from affected hospitals. Moreover, experts can continuously update JIT information as new events unfold. These lectures should focus on a single disease, such as SARS, or on an event, such as a natural or human catastrophe. The processing of the JIT lectures needs to be quick to maximise their rapidly decaying shelf-life. As a source of accurate current information, JIT lectures attract the attention of not only the medical community, but also the media and listservers, such as ProMED (Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases), as has been the case with SARS.

The value of JIT lectures was tested during the SARS outbreak. A request went out to subscribers of the Supercourse Newsletter (http://www.pitt. edu/~super1/) and there was a huge international response. JIT lectures are a viable educational tool and can provide much needed information any time, anywhere, to the global community in a very short time. The JIT SARS lecture through the Supercourse website has been used worldwide. This spread of knowledge and information provides intervention strategies to educators to help them respond to chaotic situations. JIT lectures can reduce fears and help health professionals make informed decisions using accurate information.

Just-in-time lectures: SARS 1 WHO. Cumulative number of reported probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

International disease counting form

Needed: universal monitoring of all serious disease of global importance

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