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Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory (EPRI): User's Manual

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

This resource was part of AHRQ's Public Health Emergency Preparedness program, which was discontinued on June 30, 2011, in a realignment of Federal efforts.

This information is for reference purposes only. It was current when produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing this information should contact us at: https://info.ahrq.gov. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information.

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Chapter 2: Resource Inventory

2.1 Entering and Updating Resource Inventory Data

Feature Availability

The following types of users can enter or update inventory data:

  • Administrator.
  • Data Manager.
  • Data Entry.

Quick Summary

To enter or update resource inventory data, log in to EPRI and:

  • Step 1: Select the Inventory keyword.
  • Step 2: Select the Inventory box icon for your location.
  • Step 3: Enter or update the inventory data.

Step 1. Select the Inventory Keyword

After you log in to EPRI, the home page is displayed. Figure 2.1 shows a "generic" home page—your EPRI Administrator may have added text or additional links to the home page.

Near the top of all EPRI Web pages are one or more keywords. (The number of keywords varies by user type.) The EPRI home page shown in Figure 2.1 has the keywords that users who are "Data Managers" will see (Home, Inventory, Reports, and Emergency Requests).

To enter or update inventory data, select the Inventory keyword.

Step 2. Select an Inventory Icon

Selecting the Inventory keyword displays the Inventory Status page (go to Figure 2.2). The page contains a data table with one row for each location that you can enter or edit inventory data for. In Figure 2.2, the user "abcmanager" has data entry responsibility for three hospitals.

Select the icon in the far right column of the data table to enter or update resource inventory information for a location. (The check mark box to the right of the icon is used in conjunction with the "Send E-mail to Selection Locations" link—go to Chapter 2.2.)

This page contains:

  • Several text boxes and dropdown lists, as well as a Search button, for filtering locations displayed in the data table.
  • A data table containing one row for each location that you can enter or edit inventory data for.
    • If several locations are displayed, you can sort the table by selecting on one of the column headings.
    • The Inventory Completeness is the percentage of inventory data elements that have been filled in.
    • The Inventory Timeliness is the percentage of inventory data elements that have been updated within the indicated number of days (60, in the case of Figure 2.2).
Tips:
  • If the locations displayed in the data table do not seem correct to you (for example, you do not work at the location), contact your EPRI Administrator.
  • The EPRI Administrator will see all locations participating in ERPI displayed in the data table, and have the ability to sort the table by Inventory Completeness or Timeliness. This provides a simple way to identify locations that need to update their inventory.

Step 3. Enter ⁄ Update the Inventory Data

The Inventory page contains text boxes for each resource that you are being asked to provide inventory data on. Figure 2.3 shows an illustrative data entry page; your EPRI Administrator will design your data entry page. Type in the value for each resource and then press Tab to move to the next box. When you are finished, select Submit.

  • The Confirmed column indicates the last time you either (1) entered a new value for the data element or (2) confirmed that the value has not changed since the previous time you entered the value (by putting a check mark in the "Confirm Now" box).
  • You can select on resource names that are underlined to display a definition of the resource. Otherwise, contact the EPRI Administrator if you have questions about the resource.
Tips:
  • If the value for a data element is the same as the displayed value, simply check the Confirm Now box to indicate that it has not changed and then select Submit.
  • If the resources that you are being asked for seem not applicable to your organization, contact your EPRI Administrator.

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2.2 E-mailing Reminders Regarding Inventory Data

Feature Availability

The following types of users can use EPRI to E-mail locations to remind them to enter or update inventory data:

  • Administrators.
  • Data Manager.

Quick Summary

To use EPRI to E-mail persons responsible for updating inventory data, log in to EPRI and:

  • Step 1: Select the Inventory keyword.
  • Step 2: Select the check box of the location(s) you want to E-mail.
  • Step 3: Fill out the E-mail form and select Send.

Step 1. Select the Inventory Keyword

Select the Inventory keyword (go to Figure 2.1).

Step 2. Select the Location(s) You Want to E-mail

Select the check boxes for the location(s) that you want to send E-mail to using EPRI, and then select "Send E-mail to Selected Locations" in the dropdown list. In Figure 2.4, the two locations that have not completed entering inventory data will be E-mailed.

Tip:
  • To send E-mails to locations that have not reported their inventory data, sort in descending order the list of locations by Inventory Completeness. Selecting on a column heading sorts the table by that column. A second select changes the sort order from ascending to descending.

Step 3. Fill Out the E-mail Form

Selecting the Send E-mail to Selected Locations option displays the Send E-mail page (go to Figure 2.5). Fill out the form, and then select Send to send the E-mail to the desired locations.

  • The E-mail To dropdown list contains three choices:
    • Emergency Contacts—E-mails will be sent to the E-mail address(es) of the emergency contact person(s) at the selected locations.
    • Data Managers—E-mails will be sent to data manager(s) associated with the selected locations.
    • Both—E-mails will be sent to both the emergency contact(s) and data manager(s).
  • The text you enter in the Message Subject and Message Body appears in the E-mails.
  • After you select "Send E-mail," messages will appear in the popup that indicate whether the individual E-mails were successfully delivered.

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2.3 Producing Inventory Reports

The Inventory Across Multiple Locations report includes a flexible report generator that provides you with many options for viewing resource inventory data.

Feature Availability

The following types of users can run inventory reports:

  • Administrator.
  • Data Manager.
  • Reports and Emergency Requests Only.
  • Reports Only.

Quick Summary

To run an inventory report, login to EPRI and:

  • Step 1: Select the Reports keyword.
  • Step 2: Select the Inventory Across Multiple Locations Report.
  • Step 3: Select a Resource Group.
  • Step 4: Select a Location Group.
  • Step 5: Select a level of aggregation.
  • Step 6: Select an output format and select Run Report.

Step 1. Select the Reports Keyword

Select the Reports keyword (go to Figure 2.1).

Step 2. Select the Inventory Across Multiple Locations Report

Selecting the Reports keyword displays the EPRI Reports Page. Select the Inventory Across Multiple Locations link on this page to produce an inventory report (go to Figure 2.6).

The Inventory Across Multiple Locations contains four dropdown lists for building reports (go to Figure 2.7). These options are explained in Steps 3 thru 6 below.

Step 3. Select a Resource Group

The Saved Resource Group dropdown list (go to Figure 2.7) shows all the different resource groups that have previously been created. A resource group is a collection of one or more resources.

You can either select a Resource Group from the dropdown list or create your own, if you need a special report. To create a new Resource Group:

  1. Select "—New Resource Group—" from the Resource Group dropdown list.
  2. Select the desired resources, using the plus ⁄ minus signs to expand or collapse the resource listing (go to Figure 2.8).
  3. Specify a meaningful name and description to the Resource Group.
  4. Select "Add New Resource Group" in the popup.
  5. Go to Step 4, below.
Tip:
  • If you have to regularly produce an inventory report, ask your EPRI Administrator to create for you a Resource Group that matches your report requirements.

Step 4. Select a Location Group

The Saved Location Group dropdown list (go to Figure 2.7) shows all the different location groups that have previously been created. A location group is a collection of one or more locations.

You can either select a Location Group from the dropdown list, ask the EPRI Administrator to create one for you, or create a new Location Group.

To create a new Location Group:

  1. Select "—New Location Group—" from the Location Group dropdown list.
  2. In the Create Location Group popup (go to Figure 2.9), select the locations you want to include in your report (see below for more information on selecting locations).
  3. Specify a name for the group and, optionally, a description.
  4. Select "Add New Resource Group"
  5. Go to Step 5, below.
Tip:
  • If you want to produce an inventory report for a single location (instead of multiple locations), go to that location's Inventory status page (go to Chapter 2.1) and print the page from your Web browser. To improve print quality, put check marks for the options to print background images and colors on your browser's print dialog box.

The general steps involved in using the above popup window are:

  • Select values in one or more of the dropdown lists in the upper right corner of the popup (e.g., a Location Type, a city, or county) and then select the Add Filter button.
  • The locations that meet the specified criteria are added to the list in the lower right corner of the popup ("Locations that match ANY filter"). Locations in this list can be removed by either (1) un-checking the location in the "Include" column or (2) deleting the filter set by selecting the "X" in the list of Filter Sets In Use (in the lower left corner). In selecting Hospitals from the Location Type dropdown displayed four hospitals in the "Locations that match ANY filter" list (go to Figure 2.10), but two (DEF Hospital and Hospital ABC) were subsequently deselected.
  • Assign a meaningful name to the Group in the upper left corner.
  • Select "Add New Location Group." The list of checked locations in the lower right corner ("Locations that match ANY filter") will be included in the Location Group.

Step 5. Select a Level of Aggregation

Different levels of aggregation are available for the reports (go to Figure 2.11).

Step 6. Select an Output Format

Reports can be output directly to the Web page or to a spreadsheet (go to Figure 2.12).

Step 7. Select Run Report

Select the Run Report button to produce the report.

Figure 2.13 shows an illustrative report aggregated by location. Note that three of the four hospitals have reported the number of ICU beds they have.

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