Emergency response reviews are important processes used to reflect, identify gaps, best practices and lessons learned emerging from an emergency, as well as to suggest measures and actions to improve ongoing response or be better prepared for future emergencies. An Intra-Action Review (IAR) is held during an emergency for course correction, and immediate and sustained improvement of the response in real-time. An After Action Review (AAR) is generally held once an event or emergency is over.

After Action Review (AAR)

An After Action Review (AAR) is a qualitative review of actions taken to respond to a public health event or following a project or a public health intervention as a means of identifying and documenting best practices demonstrated and challenges encountered during the response to the event or the implementation of the project. The AAR process involves a structured facilitated discussion or experience sharing among responders to critically and systematically review what was in place before the response and could have been used, what actually happened during the response, what went well, what went less well, why events occurred as they did, and how to improve. It is an important management tool for continuous performance improvement and learning.

Intra-Action Review (IAR)

In light of the protracted nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries may wish to conduct periodic reviews during the event so they can continue to reflect on the ongoing response and revise national and subnational response strategies and plans as needed. WHO, having recognized this need, developed the Guidance for Conducting a Country COVID-19 Intra-Action Review (IAR) and accompanying tools.